Kole and Ori's Infinite Playlist
by ElCapitan18
Summary: Snap shots of Kolyat Krios and Oriana Lawson's relationship as I imagine it using songs of my choosing. Follow this young couple as they discover that love can sometimes be painful, and some people are worth the ache. (Story coincides with Misgiving and may contain spoilers.) Rated M for a reason
1. Vicariously

The Citadel was a hive of activity, now more than ever. With the Reapers destroyed, and the mass relays out of working order, everyone had a part to play in reconnecting the galaxy. Or so the Council liked to remind them all. Kolyat mumbled an "excuse me" as he wove around a pair of salarians caught up in deep discussion.

His workday had officially ended and he was on his way home. After a quick shower he was going out for the night. Flux had a seat at the bar with his name on it. He wasn't big on drinking, but people watching was interesting enough to make him keep coming back. Shepard was the one who began the game, the only past-time she was able to do from the hospital bed she was stuck in.

_ "__Look at them all," she mutters, almost under her breath. He can tell that she's irritated and bored, a dangerous combination for a woman like her. Sharp emerald eyes glare out the door and into the hallway. "They're just busy little bees, carrying on with their lives; buzz-buzz, little bee, buzz-buzz."_

_Kolyat turns to look over his shoulder, following her narrowed eyes to the life outside of her hospital room. The nurses breeze past the door, smiles on their faces and cheer in their eyes. Everyone has something to do and somewhere to be. Unlike Shepard, who can't even scratch her own nose. It's why she's so angry all the time. He'd be pissed too if he was cuffed to a hospital bed._

_With his attention elsewhere she admits from behind him. "I like to watch them work. They're too scared of me to stop in and chat," probably because she scares them off. Kolyat didn't know her before she became hospitalized, but he couldn't remember her ever being this angry. "So I like to make up lives for them."_

_Humans are an interesting species. He can see why his father had fallen in love with this female, even if she is currently an unbearable beast. A nurse walks by the room, she's a short human with brown hair tied into a bun, and eyes the color of the oceans on the planet below._

_Pointing her out to Shepard, Kolyat asks, "What's her story?"_

_Without missing a beat she says, "She's engaged to a Teacher's Assistant, despite her parents' fervent disapproval. She doesn't care that they're both so young, they're in love. Or at least she thought so."_

_Raising a brow, Kolyat returns his attention to the debilitated commander strapped down to the hospital bed. Shepard is very good at this game, evidence enough of her drawn out boredom. "She doesn't think so anymore?"_

_Shepard shakes her head. "She's met a beautiful asari dancer at Chora's Den. They had a conversation over drinks and it was enough to make her head spin. If she really loved her fiancé, how could she be so enamored by an asari that she just met?"_

_Kolyat fights a small smile from reaching his lips. "You're pretty good at this, Commander."_

_"When you have to live vicariously through other people, it's amazing the things you can make up."_

Now Kolyat couldn't sit down in a public place without watching the people around him and imagining them more dramatic lives.

Since doing his time in community service, he'd been working his way into becoming a C-Sec officer. Aside from Shepard, and maybe Garrus, Kolyat didn't have an overflowing sea of friends. He didn't trust people enough to let them in, and he didn't care enough to give friendships an honest effort. Imagining up lives for strangers he would never meet, was as close as he was ever going to get to any of the people around him.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Kolyat's thought-filled trek was interrupted by the sound of a hushed argument. He lifted his gaze from the path he'd been walking and sought out the source of the disturbance. _Don't get involved_. He was off duty. Whatever the problem was, it wasn't his problem. In the alley way, around the corner a human female was caught in an argument with a turian.

She was a small little thing; her dark hair cut short and pale skin colored blue by the lights overhead. The dress she wore was an elegant black, and she carried a violin case at her side. There was an impatient twist to her expression, dark brown brows furrowed by her irritation.

"I don't care who told you what," her voice spilled out of the alleyway and into Kolyat's ears. "I had nothing to do with Sanctuary. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be on my way."

The turian lifted his arm, stopping the human in her tracks.

_Gods damn it_. Against his better judgment, Kolyat moved to intervene. He couldn't have stopped if he tried; his feet seemed to be moving on their own.

Stepping into the fray he interjected, "She said she was done, you should leave her alone."

Slowly turning to face to newest member of their confrontation, the turian's eyes narrowed on Kolyat. "I don't remember asking you, kid."

He ignored the glaring turian and placed his attention on the girl. Either he was misreading her facial expression or she was glaring at him too. Why did he even bother with this crap? He could never win. "Are you alright, Miss?"

"Yeah," she huffed. "I'm fine." It was a dismissal. The misguided little human thought that she didn't need his help.

Under normal circumstances he would have left her to her fate. He had done his part. If she didn't want his help then he didn't want to help her. Easy was that, typically at least. Now he hesitated. He couldn't leave her to deal with the turian on her own. She'd get hurt, and it would be his fault.

_Gods damn it!_ Gesturing for her to take a step in his direction he instructed, "Let me walk you home."

One of her dark brown brows arched at him. "No, really, I'm fine."

"You heard her," the turian turned to face Kolyat full on. Taking a step towards him he growled, "She doesn't need your help. Now get on your way and mind your own business, kid."

Kolyat sighed. Why was he doing this? Without another thought he also took a step forward. He answered the turian's growl with his own warning. "And I said leave her alone."

"Come here and make me, kid."

_Fine_. His fist flew by its own free will. The day had started out as normal and boring as usual, and then it had turned to this. The bones in his hand protested upon impact with the turian's mandible. When he moved to retaliate, Kolyat no longer stood where he had once been.

Aiming to end the fight quickly he readied his fist for, what was going to be, a knockout punch. Before he could get his momentum going, the human's shouting voice drew his attention.

"Stop it!" She yelled as she pulled on his shoulder to keep his fist from flying.

Her only success was in leaving him completely vulnerable to the turian's attack. He threw himself onto Kolyat, tackling him off of his feet and onto the ground. Pinned under his weight he began to punch Kolyat in the face.

With a forceful, "I said stop it," the human used her instrument case to whack the turian off of Kolyat and onto his ass.  
As he pulled himself onto his feet the turian rubbed the side of his head and grumbled, "You're not worth the trouble, human." Turning his back on the two of them he left without a backward glance.

"Are you okay?" She knelt down beside Kolyat as he pulled himself up onto an elbow. Before he could respond with a curt, _'__No, I'm not okay. I could have taken that asshole if you hadn't gotten in the way,' _her eyes narrowed. "You're bleeding." She made it sound as though it were an inconvenience. Where her tone was absent concern it could be found in her big blue eyes.

"Come on," she helped him onto his feet despite his vocal protests. "My apartment is right around the corner."

"Look, Lady, I'm fine." He tried to shake her grip off of his arm, but she was latched onto him like a parasite.

Tightening her hold on his arm she growled, "Will you just . . . Hold still!" When he stopped struggling under her grasp she huffed. "I'll take you up on that walk now." Offering him a small smile she reiterated, "My apartment is just around the corner."

Sighing, Kolyat relented. She was a pushy little human, and another confrontation wasn't something he wanted right at that moment. Without saying another word he followed the little human back to her apartment, consented to going inside, and appeased her by taking a seat on her sofa.

The woman's apartment was clean, well decorated and colorful. She disappeared into the kitchen for a moment before reappearing with an ice pack and a tube of medi-gel.

Blue eyes pointed with irritation she grumbled, "That was the most pigheaded –"

"Excuse me?" his mouth hung open with speechless astonishment.

"– Imbecilic, inane, ill-advised thing I have ever seen." Kneeling down before him she pressed some medi-gel onto his forehead before holding the icepack on top of it. Though she moved with obvious frustration, her touch was gentle and surprisingly light handed.

Kolyat gaped at this petite little human. He had no words. Had he not just rescued her from some turian bully? Because he was under the distinct impression that he had just rescued her from some turian bully. He didn't have much experience in this sort of thing but, he would assume that she'd be at least a little appreciative.

_Of all the ungrateful_ . . . "How about a thank you?" This human had a lot of nerve.

"Thank you?" She scoffed. Putting just a bit more pressure onto his bruising brow, she said, "I had it under control. I'm not some damsel you needed to rescue."

The situation he stumbled upon hadn't appeared under control. He shooed her hand off of the icepack and replaced it with his own. With a shake of his head, Kolyat muttered, "It didn't look that way to me."

"Probably because you didn't stop to assess the situation before barging on in like a knight in shining armor. Did you?" She paused long enough for him to be able to sputter out an argument. When he opened his mouth to try she spoke over him anyway. "No, because if you had you would have seen that that idiot was about to apologize for harassing me."

At that Kolyat openly laughed at her. This poor little girl was soft in the head. "Apologize? You're delusional, Lady."

"Yes, apologize; just like you are going to do right now."

That caught him by surprise. "What?"

"Apologize for butting in when you should have been minding your own business."

"No," he met her glare with his own. "I saved your white human ass. I won't apologize for rescuing you."

A frown took her lips, displeasure in her blue eyes. "My white ass didn't need saving." Eyes narrowing, she demanded, "Apologize."

"No."

"Do it."

"Never."

Her glare was life threatening enough for him to surrender after a dramatic sigh and theatrical eye roll. "Fine," shaking his head he grumbled, "I'm sorry that you're too stubborn to accept help when it's offered to you."

"Stubborn?" Her mouth fell open incredulously.

"Yeah, stubborn."

Pointing at herself she clarified, "_I'm_ stubborn?"

"That's what I said."

Her lips thinned with her annoyance. "Are you always this childish, or did I just catch you on a good day?"

"That depends," he rejoined. "Are you always this bossy?"

"You haven't begun to see bossy, drell."

"And you haven't begun to see childish, human." The words fell out of his mouth before he thought them through.

The girl fought a smirk from her lips and failed. Kolyat's chest tightened at the sight of it, his blood warming with an emotion he was unfamiliar with.

"That's Oriana Lawson, to you."

The red ribbing of his frill felt like it was burning under the intensity of his blush. He prayed to every god and goddess that she couldn't tell. "Kolyat Krios," he feebly introduced himself.

Her smile deepened. For once she looked at him with more than irritation and annoyance. There was a hint of delight in her eyes. "Well, Kolyat Krios, I'd say that it was a pleasure to meet you, but under the circumstances I would be lying."

With a scoff he rebuked, "Well, meeting your acquaintance wasn't exactly the highlight of my day either, Oriana Lawson."

"I'll try not to lose sleep over it."

They sat awkwardly for a moment. Neither of them knew what to do now that the introductions had been made and he had been taken care of.

Gracelessly returning the icepack to her, he muttered, "I should probably go." even though he didn't want to. What he wanted to do was stay where he was seated and learn more about this strange, stubborn human.

"Yeah," she agreed when Kolyat had finally forced himself onto his feet. "Try to keep the heroics to a minimum while you're out there."

He strode towards the door. Over his shoulder, he commented, "Are you going to beat me over the head with your violin case if I don't?"

"I just might," Oriana teased as she followed him to the door. "Next time I see you I'll have an icepack ready."

His heart jumped against his will. Would there be a next time? He fought against the part of himself that hoped there would. Like he needed the trouble this little human would surely cause him. As the door closed behind him, Kolyat couldn't help a smile from stealing his lips. He wouldn't have imagined this up for himself, but life was far more creative than he was.


	2. For You I Will (Confidence) Teddy Geiger

The sound of his fingers tapping on the desk was the only one in the room as he stared blankly at the private terminal in front of him. Kolyat leaned back in his seat with a sigh as his mind returned to the petite human with the short, dark brown hair. Shaking his head, he tried for the hundredth time to push the stubborn set of her features from his mind, but she always managed to wheedle her way back to the forefront of his thoughts.

His encounter with Oriana Lawson was branded to the backs of his eyes, and every encounter since had only ensured the stronghold she had over his every waking moment. Since saving her from the turian bully in an alleyway on his way to Flux, he and Oriana had met up a few times to grab drinks.

Kolyat rubbed his eyes as he remembered the embarrassment he always managed to cause himself in her presence. He didn't know what it was about Oriana that made him so nervous, making him too flustered to articulate a proper sentence. The way she would smile at him when he got like that didn't help any. She'd rest her cheek in her palm and watched him as he tripped over his words, a soft smile on her lips as she regarded him like he was a cute furry creature from her homeworld.

There was just something about her that drew him in. Whenever he was with her Kolyat found himself enraptured by the sound of her buoyant laughter, the depth of her dark blue eyes, how her intelligence was rivaled only by her beauty. _Her beauty!_ She was a human, Kolyat had never been attracted to females of other races before. Sure, asari were beautiful, but that was just how their race was. They were meant to be attractive to all those around them, as where humans should've only been attractive to their own kind. Yet here sat Kolyat, living proof that the heart wants what it wants and all he could do was strap himself in for the ride. A human... he was his father's son.

"Kolyat?" The vibrating sound of Burnek's voice pulled him from his thoughts. Kolyat turned in his seat to see a fellow C-Sec officer leaning into the room, his mandibles flaring as he gave Kolyat a curious look. "What are you still doing here? You punched out an hour ago."

Kolyat turned back to his terminal and quickly reread the file that had been pulled onto his screen before shutting it off and pushing himself out of his seat. "I was just reading up on a case." he explained as he strode up to Burnek and gave him a polite nod of his head.

Burnek's mandible's flared again as he chuckled at Kolyat. "A case?" he asked, "Last I checked you just made officer. You hoping to get promoted to detective already, kid?"

Setting his jaw, Kolyat didn't bother humoring the turian's provocation. Throwing a departing wave over his shoulder, he grumbled, "See you tomorrow, Burnek."

"Hey, Krios, wait up." Kolyat struggled to not roll his eyes when Burnek kept up pace beside him. He was one of the youngest C-Sec officers on the Citadel, and Burnek loved to remind him of it any chance he got. Despite Kolyat's distinct inability to make friends, Burnek seemed to actually want to play nice with him. "You headed home?"

He could have lied and said yes just to get the turian off his tail, but he couldn't give voice to the lie. Kolyat's only friends were Shepard and Garrus, maybe Oriana too but he wanted her to become more than his friend. It couldn't hurt for him to at least try to be nice.

Giving Burnek a sidelong glance, he answered, "No, actually I was going to grab a drink at Purgatory."

"Purgatory," Burnek repeated, his enthusiasm growing with the thought. "Looking to have some fun tonight, I see. Any chance you need a wingman?"

_No,_ was the answer that struggled against his grit teeth to be voiced. Swallowing back the biting answer, Kolyat shrugged, "Sure, I can't promise that it'll be any fun though."

Burnek shrugged too, unconcerned by the warning. "It's Purgatory," he observed. "I'm sure I'll be able to find someway to entertain myself."

"Alright," Kolyat nodded curtly and redirected his attention straight ahead. He really wasn't any good at this whole being friendly thing.

He and Burnek strode to the nearby rapid transit terminal and summoned a taxi that would take them from this arm of the Citadel to the other. To the turian's credit, Burnek wasn't terrible company. He made casual conversation when Kolyat allowed the silence between them grow too awkward, and he had a story or two that were mildly entertaining. As it turned out, bringing Burnek was better than going to Purgatory by himself.

The lively house music escaped from Purgatory in pulsating waves that vibrated the taxi as it descended onto the platform. Kolyat paid the fare and stepped out of the vehicle, staring up at the nightclub and the cocktail of people that were dancing, and stumbling, in and out of the front doors.

As Kolyat stepped up beside his fellow C-Sec officer, Burnek whistled and glanced to where Kolyat was standing at his side. "It's busy tonight."

His disappointment spilled out of him with a sigh. Oriana had mentioned that she sometimes liked to come to Purgatory to dance; but she'd also mentioned that she wasn't crazy about being boxed in by a crowd. Purgatory was crowded, which meant that Oriana probably wouldn't be found inside tonight. Kolyat sighed again. This was the fourth night this week that he'd come hoping to run into her again, and apparently it was going to be the fourth night that he went without seeing her.

Since he'd already paid the cab fare, they might as well try and enjoy themselves while they were here. Taking the lead, Kolyat walked toward the entrance and found a space at the back of the line. After an hour of waiting they were granted entrance to the nightclub. The stench of cologne, perfume, and sweat was choked up in his throat as he wove his way through the sea of swaying bodies toward the bar.

Waving for the bartender's attention, Kolyat ordered them both a round of drinks and turned toward the crowd to people watch as he waited for his beer. Burnek's gaze was also on the dancers flooding the club's floors, his mandibles flaring as he obviously desired to join them.

When the bartender returned with their drinks, Burnek lifted his bottle and knocked it against Kolyat's, nodding in wordless gratitude for the drink and the company. They both took a swing of their drinks and returned their attention to the dancers. A few minutes passed like that, they shared a few words of conversation before the music's volume became too tiresome to speak over. Burnek tapped his foot to the music as he drank from his beer.

Turning toward Kolyat, Burnek wondered, "So, did you just come here to watch?"

Kolyat glanced at Burnek and took a swig from his beer before answering. "Sometimes it's more fun to watch." he said with a shrug.

"More fun than that?" Using the bottle to point Kolyat's gaze to the dancefloor, Burnek brought the nearby group of young asari women to his attention.

He watched the women dance, the seductive sway of their hips as they moved and dipped to the music. Kolyat allowed a smirk twist the corner of his mouth as he replied, "They're not really my type."

Burnek nodded as if he understood. Taking another sip from his drink, he inquired, "Don't have a thing for asari, huh?" When Kolyat's response was a noncommittal shrug, his line of questioning continued. "What about human?"

Kolyat froze in place. Boring his surprised gaze into the side of the turian's head, he waited for Burnek to meet his eyes before he asked, "What?" There was no way that he could have known about Kolyat's growing fascination with at least one human in particular.

Giving Kolyat a sidelong glance, Burnek casually pointed towards a couple of women at the other side of the bar. Following the turian's tallon, Kolyat felt his heart rate pick up and his chest tighten. He'd been so focused on the dancing crowd in front of them that he hadn't noticed the people at the other end of the bar.

She was here after all. Oriana was seated in the corner with an asari, the dark hair was styled back and her makeup gave her a smoky seductive look. In the poorly lit club lights, she looked like a huntress awaiting her desired prey. Kolyat couldn't look away.

"She's been eyeing you since we walked through the door," Burnek informed him. When Kolyat glanced back the turian nodded in assurance that he was speaking the truth. Looking over Kolyat's shoulder he observed, "Her friend's pretty attractive too. Maybe we should go say hello."

Kolyat looked back at where Oriana was seated and when their eyes met an inviting smile curled the corners of her lips. His heart started to accelerate at the quirk of her darkly painted lips, all confidence fleeing from his body.

He couldn't talk to her. What would he say? 'Hey, you finally came. I've been stalking this club every night hoping to run into you' or, better yet, 'Oriana, fancy meeting you here. Are you tired? 'Casue you've been running through my mind all day.' Turning away from her, Kolyat leaned his elbows on the bar and ran a hand down his face. Whatever this was that was going on between them, he couldn't pursue it anyway. She probably didn't even like him that way.

"Well," Burnek wondered as he rested an elbow on the bar and raised his glass to the asari girl beside Oriana he was currently undressing with his eyes. "What'll it be, Krios?"

Glancing up at the turian beside him, Kolyat shook his head as he returned his attention to the beer in his hands. Nerves coiled and slithered along the inside of his stomach, snaking its way into his bloodstream and carving its way down his spine. No woman had ever had this kind of paralyzing effect on him before, but everything about Oriana made his mind so clouded that he couldn't think straight. It was the way she stared at him, as though he were the most interesting person in the galaxy. _Him_, he laughed at the thought. There was nothing interesting about him, yet when they were together she'd stare at him and twirl her soft looking hair around her finger with that soft smile of hers on her plush lips.

Kolyat sucked in a deep breath and looked briefly at Burnek before returning his attention to Oriana. Straightening his shoulders, he forced himself to exude some sort of pseudo confidence. Without looking back at Burnek, he said, "Let's go say hello."

"Alright!" Burnek cheered and they stepped back into the masses to find a way to the other end of the bar.

Swallowing hard against the uncertainty massing in his throat, Kolyat pulled his lips back into a smile as he and the turian approached Oriana and her friend. When they were within shouting distance Oriana slid off of her bar stool, causing the hem of her short dress to ride up a touch and showing Kolyat some more of her jaw dropping legs.

"Kolyat," she threw her arms around him in a tight embrace and Kolyat couldn't pretend like he didn't enjoy the feeling of her pressed against him. He swallowed hard again when she released him and when he couldn't make his mouth work to form a proper greeting her smile grew.

"Fancy meeting you here!" she said, a playful light in her dark blue eyes. "Have you been following me, Kolyat Krios?"

"No!" He said a bit too quickly. Glancing back at Burnek he cleared his throat and tried again. "Burnek and I just got out of work and decided to grab a few drinks."

Smiling politely at the turian beside him, Oriana offered him her hand in a human greeting and her smile grew when he shook it. "You must be Burnek. Oriana Lawson, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine." Burnek replied when she released his hand.

Gesturing back to her friend who was watching the encounter from the bar, Oriana stated, "That's Mau, it's her eightieth birthday tonight. I promised to show her a good time."

Burnek looked from Kolyat to Oriana then back to Kolyat. His mandibles flared a bit as he addressed the petite human standing in front of them. "Maybe I can help you on that front." In response to the inquisitive quirk to Oriana's eyebrow, he explained, "I'm a fantastic dancer."

An amused smile spread across her lips and she moved her body out of his path with a sweeping gesture, "She's been begging me to dance all night. Have at it, Burny."

"I think I will." Burnek nodded towards Kolyat, a wingman gesture indicating that he was separating the prey from the pack in order for Kolyat to make the kill. Striding past Oriana towards the curious asari at the bar, Burnek gave Kolyat a thumbs up and went to seduce the birthday girl.

Oriana watched Burnek and Mau's interactions as the turian asked for a dance and the asari happily agreed. When Mau gave Oriana an excited smile Oriana waved her friend off and returned her attention to Kolyat.

Smiling up at him, she commented, "Well that was very nice of him."

"Yeah," Kolyat replied weakly. Nervously rubbing the back of his neck, he shifted from one foot to the other as his discomfort grew. When an expectant expression settled on Oriana's porcelain features, he cleared his throat and mustered that false confidence he'd used to get him over here. "S-so, do you want to dance?"

Her smile grew and Oriana shook her head. Placing a hand on Kolyat's shoulder, she stood on the tips of her toes and brought her lips beside his ear. "How about we find somewhere more quiet?"

When she returned to the flat of her feet her hand was still on his shoulder and her proximity was disorienting. Clearing his throat again, Kolyat tried to force his lead tongue to work but when it refused he just nodded his consent to the idea. Oriana grinned happily at his gesture and grabbed his hand in hers to lead him through the horde of dancers back out of the club.

Kolyat breathed in the fresh air and welcomed the cool breeze that swept down, lightly blowing Oriana's beautifully dark brown hair. She didn't release his hand when they were outside, but still tugged him along until they were standing at the railing that looked out onto the Presidium and the Commons.

He felt her absence the moment she released his hand to wrap her fingers around the railing and lean into the flowing breeze. A contented smile fell over her features and Kolyat was trapped by her beauty as he stared at her. This human, so foreign from himself, was a lovely little thing and Kolyat wondered not for the first time what it would be like to kiss her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" asked Oriana as she stared out at the Citadel, the light's shining in the space station's false night.

Kolyat's gaze was on her when he replied, "Yeah."

She glanced up at him and her smile turned teasing as she wondered, "So, Kolyat Krios, did you perform any more heroics on your way here?"

"Well, Oriana Lawson," he smirked at her, grateful that she'd taken such a confrontational mode of conversation. For some reason he found it easier to talk to her when they joked like this. "If you consider paying the taxi an act of heroism, then yes, I did."

"They will write songs about your valor," she replied with a laugh. Without looking away from him, she said, "I'm glad we ran into each other tonight."

"You are?" He couldn't stop the surprise that melded into the undertones of his voice.

She nodded. "Whenever I go to visit Shepard I always just miss you."

Kolyat lifted an eyebrow and allowed the teasing smirk to return to his lips. "So _you're_ the one that's been following _me_."

"No," she argued half heartedly, the laugh in her voice indicating that she didn't believe herself either. "I was just hoping to run into you again."

"So was I," the words were out before he knew he'd said them. Glancing to where Oriana stood beside him, surprise coloring her features, Kolyat pushed himself off of the railing and turned to face Oriana. Rolling his shoulders, he summoned every ounce of confidence he had. He was done fantasizing what could be. Kolyat wanted to pursue this ever growing interest in this beautiful human girl, and he knew that he was going to have to get over his insecurities in order to deserve the chance.

_Here goes nothing,_ he thought as he breathed in deeply. "Oriana, there's something I want to tell you." When she silently held his gaze, Kolyat swallowed against the nerves in his throat and forced himself to continue. "I like you, a lot, and I was hoping that you might let me take you out on a real date. I'd like to get to know you."

Her features turned surprised as she stared up at him before a happy grin crawled across her lips. "How about tomorrow night? Pick me up at seven?"

Kolyat blinked, taken aback by her easy and eager agreement. "Uh..." Her response had him flustered. Shaking himself back into focus, he stammered, "Yeah, t-tomorrow works for me."

"Good," she grinned at him, her dark blue eyes shining brightly under the Citadel's street lights. "Now I should probably go make sure that Burny hasn't run off with my friend. We have a recital tomorrow."

Oriana turned to leave him at the railing but before she was out of arm's reach, Kolyat grabbed a hold of her wrist and pulled her back to him. Her agreeing to the date might have made him a bit over confident, but Kolyat didn't care. Right now all he wanted was to find out if those plump lips were as soft as they looked.


	3. If Only They Knew - A Rocket to the Moon

**If Only They Knew - A Rocket to the Moon**

* * *

Humming along to the melodic tune streaming from the speakers, Oriana maneuvered through the kitchen as she carefully prepared two tupperware containers full of lunch. No matter how hard she tried Oriana couldn't seem to shake the smile from her lips. It was as if a brilliant bright light had been placed in her chest and all she could do was beam happily as she went about her business. She was acting like a fool and she knew it.

It had been three days since her last date with Kolyat and they had messaged each other back and forth everyday since, except for today. She'd messaged him good morning five hours ago and had yet to receive a response. Nervous that maybe he'd suddenly lost interest in her, Oriana had decided to make and bring him lunch. She knew that he might think it creepy, maybe a bit clingy, but the saying 'out of sight out of mind' didn't exist for nothing; and Oriana wanted to be as much on Kolyat's mind as he was on hers.

She'd learned enough about Kolyat to know that he didn't really appreciate surprises, but he'd probably learned enough about her to know that she enjoyed pushing his buttons from time to time. As she put the containers into a bag, Oriana wondered whether or not she should call ahead and give him a heads up that she was stopping by for lunch. After a second she dismissed the thought. This was a surprise, she wasn't going to ruin her own surprise.

Oriana left her apartment and stepped into the steadily moving stream of pedestrians on their way to work or wherever it was they were going. A nervous excitement started to bubble inside of her. She hoped that Kolyat wouldn't turn her away or be put off by her stopping by. They'd only been seeing one another for a little while but she was starting to really, _really_ like him, like a lot, and not knowing whether or not he felt the same way was nerve wracking.

Kolyat was difficult to read sometimes. It was more than him being drell, his exotic features and mannerisms so different than what she was familiar with. He was just a distant person. He'd retreat to his thoughts and be lost to the world around him as he silently brooded over things she hoped he'd one day share with her. There was this intensity about him, an underlying passion that few around him saw. Shepard saw it, it was why he was allowed to call her by her first name while she kept everyone else at arm's length, and Oriana saw it too. Behind Kolyat's lone wolf exterior, was a man of deeply running emotions, a man she desperately wanted to know better.

Distracted as she was, she safely made it to the C-Sec offices without incident. Officers moved to and fro, maneuvering around her as they read their datapads or talked to their colleagues. Oriana watched for a moment, fascinated by them so hard at work. So this was what Kolyat did for a living, this was what got him out of bed every morning. Taking in a deep breath to steady the butterflies in her stomach, she strode towards the receptionist at the nearby desk and offered the asari a warm smile.

"I'm here to speak with Officer Krios." she stated before her attention was snatched away by a someone calling her name.

"Oriana Lawson," Burnek said, his mandibles flaring as he grinned at her. As he walked in her direction he looked down at the bag in her hand and his turian smile grew. "You're here just in time for our lunch break. Did you bring me anything?"

Tucking her hair behind an ear, she shook her head and apologized. "Unfortunately, Burny, I don't know how to make anything that won't kill you." When the turian chuckled at her statement she asked, "Is Kolyat around?"

"He's at his desk," Burnek replied with a nod. "I'll grab him for you."

Her smile grew with her gratitude. "I'd appreciate it, Burny. Next time I'll pick you up something too."

"Careful, Miss Lawson," he responded as he turned on his heel and started for the hall that led to the C-Sec offices. As he left her in at the building's entrance he joked, "Keep it up and I might have to try and steal you out from under Kolyat's nose."

She watched him disappear behind a door before shifting her gaze back to the asari receptionist and gave the woman a small smile. Taking a step away from the desk, Oriana secured her grip on the bag in her hand as she shifted from one foot to the other, suddenly overcome by her nerves. She really hoped that Kolyat didn't think she was coming on too strong by stopping by. It was times like these that she wished she had her sister's confidence. Miranda would've known how to act and what to say to make any man she wanted trip over themselves, not the other way around.

A few minutes passed before the doors to the offices parted again and Kolyat strode through. Her heart leaped into her throat at the sight of him. His beautiful blue green scales looked magnificent against his dark C-Sec uniform that hugged his muscular physique so wonderfully. She couldn't fight the smile from her lips even if she tried, a smile that only grew when the corner of his mouth slightly twitched at the sight of her.

Distant and detached as he was, his subtle and fleeting facial expressions always seemed to make her heart race. _She_ made his lips twitch. _She_ had caused an outward reaction on his typically schooled features. Others might have been intimidated by his lack of expressiveness, but Oriana saw right through that protective wall he had around him. That smirk was as good as her grin, and she was determined to see an actual grin on his lips before she had to go to class.

"Oriana," his deep rumbling voice said as he approached. "What are you doing here?"

She held up the bag in explanation. "I thought you'd like some lunch."

His shadowed cerulean eyes inspected her closely before he nodded in agreement, allowing his lips to be pulled into a slightly bigger smile. "Alright."

"Great!" her grin grew before she took him by the hand and dragged him outside of the C-Sec offices to grab one of the picnic tables in the courtyard not too far away. Without releasing his hand from hers, she looked up to him and smiled warmly when she caught him staring at her.

"So," she started, her nervousness was making her chatty. "How's work?"

"It's okay," Kolyat softly murmured in response.

Oriana looked back up at him again, suddenly concerned by the monotone of his curt response. _Oh no_, she thought, he was creeped out by her stopping by. She'd been an idiot for not calling in advance to let him know. Now he thought she was some kind of overly attached stalker. She'd ruined it, she ruined everything.

Worrying on the inside of her cheek she released his hand when they found an empty table. She sat down and started to silently pull the tupperware containers from the bag. Placing one in front of Kolyat, who was seated opposite of her, she handed him some silverware before she attended to her own meal.

A heavy and awkward silence joined them for some time as they poked at their food. Oriana tapped her foot to keep from demanding answers from him, but after a few minutes her anxiety was too much for her to bear quietly. "Is something wrong?" He opened his mouth to answer but she spoke before he had the chance. "I know I should have called to ask if it was alright if I stopped by, but I wanted to surprise you. You didn't message me back this morning and I thought maybe we could have lunch. I'm sorry, I just-"

"Oriana," he interrupted her, a soft smile playing at the edges of his mouth. "Don't apologize. I appreciate that you thought of me. Thank you." He blinked and his gaze was no longer on her. Kolyat peered over her shoulder as the smile fled from his features and a thoughtful expression took its place. "I just have a lot on my mind."

Poking at her food she wondered, "Anything you want to talk about?"

She took Kolyat's responding silence as an obvious no, but he surprised her by explaining, "Today is the one year anniversary of my father's death."

Her gaze flicked up from her food to watch his steady features. To anyone else he would have looked completely unmoved by the admission, but Oriana saw deeper into him than what he allowed everyone else to see. Kolyat's beautiful cerulean eyes were pained. She set down her fork and reached over the table to grab his hand.

Running her thumb over his knuckles she gently squeezed his fingers and said, "I'm sorry." Grimacing at her terrible sense of timing, she said, "I really should have called before stopping by."

"No," he squeezed her fingers back before lacing his digits through hers. "I'm glad you came, and thank you for lunch. It's just harder than I thought it would be."

"He was your dad, Kolyat." Oriana gave him a sympathetic smile, trying not to overstep any social ques. "Losing your dad isn't ever an easy thing."

Kolyat released his hold on her hand and rubbed his eyes with a scoff. "Still, he was hardly there for me growing up; even before my mother died. He was never home. My bad memories of him almost completely overshadow my good ones." He glanced up from his hands to look at her, his features hard as he struggled to keep his emotions locked inside. "He's been dead for a year and I'm still mad at him for abandoning me."

His brows were furrowed with what she thought was disdain, and his pouty lips were pursed as he considered his words and the memories they probably stirred up inside of him. As Oriana watched him brood she felt herself get more and more annoyed by his silent reproach. She could understand him being upset over his father's death, but what she couldn't accept was his obvious self pity. She cared about Kolyat a great deal, probably more than she was willing to admit, and she couldn't stand the sight of him feeling sorry for himself. He was better than that, she knew he was.

Arching an eyebrow, she inquired, "Do you think you're the only person with daddy issues?" When Kolyat's surprised gaze met hers she continued. "My biological father created me in a test tube." She shook her head at the thought of the monster that was Henry Lawson. "He lured in thousands, _thousands_, of innocent lives to a facade of safety and did experiments on them until they were toys for the Reapers. My _father_ held a gun to my head and used me as a human shield.

"I'm not trying to justify Thane's absence in your life, and I'm not saying that you don't have a right to be angry at him." She held his gaze, hoping that he would be able to see the sincerity of her words. Oriana really wasn't trying to invalidate his emotions, all she wanted was to make him realize that holding on to his anger was hurting no one but himself. "All I'm trying to say is that your father acknowledged his mistakes and tried to make them right. He wasn't perfect, but he wanted to do right by you while it still counted. And that has to count for something, doesn't it?"

Kolyat stared at her for a while, his lips thin as he mused over what she'd said. Holding his gaze, Oriana wished she knew what was going on inside of that head of his. Had she overstepped her boundaries? Inwardly groaning, she scolded herself for her inability to keep her foot out of her mouth. She and Kolyat weren't even officially a couple, what right did she have to reprimand him for being upset on the anniversary of his father's death? _Ugh,_ she was an idiot.

That was why when he sighed, "You're right," it took her completely by surprise. Kolyat reached back over the table and intertwined their fingers again. He offered her a small abashed smile, and said, "Sometimes I get so blinded by my anger that I forget about how hard he tried to make it right before he died."

Daring to try and lighten the mood, Oriana replied, "I thought that perfect drell memory didn't let you forget."

The smile that inched across Kolyat's lips made her heart soar. "Perhaps I've been hit with a few too many violin cases."

"Maybe one more whack over the head will fix the problem," she teased with a grin.

Oriana glanced down at their hands, admiring the exotic tone of his blue green scales against her pale white skin. They were so different from one another, differences that went beyond race. Kolyat was this deep, complex, and mysterious creature; while Oriana felt like she was an open book, her thoughts and emotions readily available and easy for him to read. Or at least they should have been.

Sometimes it was like male aloofness went beyond species. She'd made him lunch and dropped by unannounced to his place of work. Oriana held his hand and tried to touch him whenever she saw an opening. It was embarrassing how girly she got whenever she was around him. She thought that her feelings for him were obvious to see, but Kolyat still hadn't asked her to make it official. He still hadn't asked to be exclusive, and her own nonsensical insecurities were starting to wonder if maybe he was seeing other people aside from her.

Clearing her throat, she chased the thought from her mind. Kolyat might have been a drell but he was still a man, and she'd dated enough men to at least learn to not expect him to read her mind. If Oriana wanted to solidify their relationship she was going to have to make a leap of faith. It was time to jump.

"Kolyat," she swallowed in attempt to moisten her suddenly dry mouth. His gaze was curious as he waited for her to go on. "We've been out on a few dates already and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to be exclusive or something." His brows quirked with surprise and as he opened his mouth to reply, Oriana spoke before he had the chance. "I mean if you want to see other people, I understand. It's just that I like you, like a lot, and I'd like to see where this," she gestured to him and herself, "is going. But if you don't feel the same way-"

"Oriana," he interrupted her before she could embarrass herself any further. An honest to God grin started to inch across Kolyat's mouth as he got up from his seat and moved around the table to sit on her bench. Straddling the seat, he cupped her cheek in his hand and turned her face to meet his gaze. His smile grew as he said, "I don't want to see other people."

His deep rumbling voice set her insides aflutter as she stared into the cerulean of his dark eyes. Oriana's gaze flickered down to his lips as she breathlessly asked, "You don't?"

Kolyat shook his head, his focus also on her lips. Slowly inching his face towards hers, he quietly replied, "No. Let's make it official," and pressed his lips against hers before she could formulate a response.

She melted into the kiss, her senses coming to life under Kolyat's touch. There were few things she loved more than the feeling of Kolyat's mouth against hers. Wrapping her arms around his neck she let a girly giggle escape her as she pulled herself closer to him. The toxins in his saliva were already blurring her senses, and combined with excitement, she was soaring on a delightful high that wasn't entirely to blame on Kolyat.

He wanted to make it official! He wanted to be hers exclusively and the otherway around. Another giggle burst through her and Oriana couldn't bring herself to care that she sounded like a teenage girl swallowed up in puppy love. She took the jump and now she was falling.


	4. Navigate Me - Cute Is What We Aim For

**Navigate Me - Cute Is What We Aim For**

**This track contains strong sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.**

* * *

The smell of chlorine wafted through the air, a scent that had been foreign to him the first time he'd come along to Shepard's physical therapy sessions. Shutting his eyes, Kolyat breathed in and listened to the the soft ripple of flowing water as he waited by the pool for Shepard to change out of her swimsuit. He was on his lunchbreak and they'd made plans to spend it together. Normally it would have been the three of them, Kolyat, Shepard, and Oriana, but there was something that he needed to ask Shepard and he prefered that Oriana not be present when he did.

He opened his eyes and turned at the sound of Shepard's crutches clacking as she approached him. A soft smile twisted the corner of his mouth as he regarded the woman. One would think that she'd be in higher spirits considering her improved mobility, but not Shepard. Ever since waking up alive after the Reaper War it was like a darkness had consumed her, and now she was this mean, surly beast that kept everyone but him at arm's length.

Keeping her sane was no easy task, but he'd come to care about her a great deal in the last few months. Even though she wasn't the same woman that his father had served under on the Normandy, Kolyat could still see why Thane had fallen in love with her.

"How was physical therapy?" wondered Kolyat as he met her halfway and walked with her towards the exit.

She made a dissatisfied sound and grumbled, "Frustrating." Her angry gaze was pointed forward as they walked. Glaring down at her legs for a second, Shepard explained, "I should know how to walk but my body forgot. It wasn't so long ago that I wove through a Reaper's legs and summoned the mother of all thresher maws, and now I can't barely walk without these things."

Kolyat wouldn't pretend to understand what she was going through, because he couldn't even imagine. Offering her a supportive smile, he stated, "Dr. Michel says that you're progressing better than they'd expected." When Shepard rolled her eyes at his words, he tried again to be encouraging. "You'll be back at it again in no time, Anya. Just be patient."

"Yeah," she said without any conviction. Her tone turned angry as she commented, "I've got nothing but time."

He didn't bother replying. There was no point when she got like this, all he could do was be there for her and let her brood it out. In a few minutes, when they were outside and in the Presidium's false daylight, Shepard would be back to her nonconfrontational grumpy self and they could talk like adults.

They took the rapid transit to one of the cafes that Shepard liked and grabbed a table on the patio, silence their heavy and awkward companion. When she set her crutches aside and settled into her seat, Kolyat decided it was past time for her get over the crass mood her physical therapy had placed her in.

After the waitress placed their drink orders on the table and left them to their silence, Kolyat took a deep breath and said, "There's something that I wanted to ask you."

Shepard poured creamer into her coffee and reached for the sugar caddie at the center of the table. Pulling free a handful of sugars she glanced up at him and replied, "Yes, this is my natural hair color. And no, I'm not telling you whether the carpet matches the drapes," as she stirred the mountain of sugar into her coffee.

"What? No, that wasn't my question." Though now it was an image that he couldn't purge from his mind. A small smile plucked the corners of his mouth as he shook his head. This was how Shepard got her amusement, and for her Kolyat would allow himself to be picked on. When she took a sip from her coffee and raised an inquiring eyebrow, he said, "Oriana and I are dating."

Setting her coffee back down on the table, Shepard nodded for him to get to it. "Yes, I know that. I have to keep from vomiting at the sight of you two all lovey dovey." Her expression turned scolding as she added, "Seriously it's gross."

Suddenly uncomfortable, Kolyat rubbed his palms on his pant legs as he forced himself to go on. "We haven't yet done . . . anything." It became harder and harder to speak as realization followed by disbelief dawned across Shepard's features.

"Kolyat," she blinked back her surprise. Her emerald eyes were watching him closely as she asked, "Are we about to have a sex talk?"

"No!" he said too quickly only to sigh and confess, "Yes. It's just I didn't know who else to talk to about this." Shepard smirked teasingly but at least had the good graces to not embarrass him anymore than he already was. Not knowing how else to start, Kolyat asked, "You're a girl, right?"

Shepard arched an eyebrow and her smirk grew a touch. "Last I checked. My surgeries were extensive, Kolyat, but not _that_ extensive."

He gave her an irritated look, fighting the urge to shake her for teasing him at a time like this. "Well, I've never been with a human woman before and I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Isn't this something you can research on the extranet?" In response to the desperation on his face, she ran a hand through her crimson hair and sighed. Grimacing she proceeded to ask, "You've had sex before, haven't you?"

Gods, if this got anymore awkward he was going to die right where he was seated. "Yes," he answered with a curt nod.

"Well there you go." His expression turned serious and Shepard rolled her eyes. She dragged a hand down her face as she struggled to find an explanation that would satisfy him. After a minute she sighed again and said, "Human women and drell women aren't all that different."

When he arched a disbelieving eyebrow she continued. "Sure, some of the parts are a little different, but in the end we all want the same thing. We want to be the center of your attention, so pay attention to her. Listen to her moans and her breathing and watch how her body moves to your touch. And remember that one of the most important parts about having enjoyable sex is communication. Ask her to tell you what feels good and what doesn't, and vice versa. Try not to overthink anything. Just relax and have fun, and remember that performance anxiety is normal."

Horrified, he replied, "Anya."

"What," she shrugged, a self-satisfied smirk on her lips. "There are pills you can take if the anxiety renders you impotent."

"Anya!"

"Hey," she raised her hands defensively, her smirk growing at the sight of his shocked expression. "You wanted to talk about sex. I'm just covering all of your bases so that we never have to have this talk ever again."

Setting his jaw, Kolyat assured her, "We won't."

An amused snort sounded from the typically irate woman, causing Kolyat's paralyzing embarrassment to be totally worth it. Any embarrassment was worth it if it resulted in hearing her laugh or seeing her smile. Shepard shook her head and her smile turned somber. A heavy breath escaped her and she took another sip of her coffee before looking back up at him to confess, "I'm glad that you're comfortable enough with me to talk about these things."

"There was nothing comfortable about that, Anya," rebutted Kolyat with a self-conscious smile.

"Still," she said, "you talked to _me_ about it, even though it's embarrassing and uncomfortable. It means a lot to me. I just wanted to let you know that."

Kolyat reached across the table and grabbed her hand in his. Looking into Shepard's emerald eyes, he offered her an encouraging smile and responded, "You're my friend; the closest one I have."

She rubbed her thumb over his knuckles before releasing his hand. "That's unfortunate."

"You have no idea," he agreed with a scoff.

* * *

So far everything was going according to plan. Dinner had been nice, he'd made it through the elcor rendition of Hamlet without falling asleep, and Oriana seemed to be enjoying herself. All that was left was getting himself invited into Oirana's apartment. Maybe he could get into another fight, that had worked out so well for him last time.

"So," the sing song sound of her voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Tonight's been fun." Glancing up at him Oriana gave him a suspicious look and asked, "Do you have something special planned?"

_Yeah,_ he thought to himself, _I was hoping to get into your pants tonight. I hope you don't mind._ Unsure what else to say, he replied, "Every night with you is special."

_Mhm_, she hummed disbelievingly. "I didn't forget my own birthday, did I?"

He laughed awkwardly at her joke and rubbed the back of his neck as he walked her back to her apartment. "No, you didn't."

"So tonight was," she waited for him to explain and when all he did was shrug she finished, "just because?"

Kolyat liked that, just because. They stopped at the entrance of her building and Kolyat peered up at the apartment building as he shrugged again. Returning his gaze to the short woman in front of him, he asked, "Do I need a reason to wine and dine you?"

She arched an eyebrow, the playful purse to her lips letting him know that she didn't believe him for a second. "There's always a reason."

"When did you become such a cynic?" He wondered as he brushed back a strand of her silky, dark brown hair and tucked it behind her ear.

A challenging look settled on her features as she rebutted, "When did you become such a romantic?"

"I've always been a romantic," Kolyat replied. A soft smile curled the corner of his mouth as he held her playful gaze. "There's a lot you don't know about me yet."

"Oh is there?" When he nodded her smile grew. "You're a man shrouded by mystery, are you?"

His smile grew in return. "I am."

"Well," she grabbed a hold of the front of his shirt and pulled herself up to his mouth. Without brushing her soft lips over his, she whispered, "Join me for a cup of tea, and maybe I can try to solve the mystery that is you."

Her smell filled his nose, causing his mouth to go dry and his heart to race. Clearing his throat, Kolyat swallowed hard and repeated, "Tea."

A sensual smirk twisted her glossy lips and she shrugged, "For starters." She fell back down to the flat of her feet and watched him expectantly.

Briefly returning his attention to the looming apartment building, Kolyat took in a steadying breath and steeled his resolve. This was the invitation he'd been wanting all night. _Just relax and have fun_, he repeated Shepard's advice to himself over and over again. Looking back down at Oriana, a nervous smile unearthed on his features. "I'd love some tea."

"Great," she grabbed his hand and led him into the building and up the stairs towards her apartment.

Kolyat allowed himself to be dragged into her apartment and stood by the door as he took in the familiar sight of it. Nothing had really changed since the last time he'd been here. She'd rearranged the pillows on the sofa, and there was a lavender scent coming from a lit candle somewhere.

He watched as Oriana kicked off her heels and smiled invitingly at him, encouraging him to do the same. When he pulled off his boots and stood barefoot at the entrance of her apartment, she looked down at his toes and smiled to herself before returning her gaze to him and grinning.

"Your feet are adorable."

Kolyat frowned. "That's not exactly the adjective I'd want associated with any part of my body."

Laughing at his displeased expression she waved for him to take another step into her home. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll go get the tea started." She turned and abandoned him in the living room as she disappeared into the kitchen. "Is chamomile okay?" her voice sounded from the other room.

"That would be fine," he replied. "Thank you." Walking into the small living room, Kolyat inspected the photos lining the shelf on wall. There were images of Oriana with her adopted family, and ones with her and her sister.

Her apartment was very different from his own. Her home was warm and welcoming, with potted plants and a vibrant color scheme; where Kolyat's was cold and barren. He didn't have a single picture framed as decoration. The only thing that showed he was living there at all were his clothes scattered about. It was just further evidence that the differences between him and Oriana were many. _Just relax and have fun_, he said to himself again.

He felt it when Oriana reentered the room, an excited chill rushing down his spine as he breathed in the sweet scent of her perfume when she strode up behind him. Kolyat could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "My mom took that photo on Christmas three years ago."

Kolyat turned around to see the nostalgic look in her blue eyes. She smiled warmly at him as she passed him a steaming mug filled with tea. "Things were a lot simpler back then," commented Oriana as she looked at the photo of a younger her in front of a tree ornamented with lights and gold and red orbs glittering from the flash.

He followed her gaze back to the photograph and hummed in response. Three years ago he'd been living with his aunts and uncles on Kahje, angry, _furious_ with his father for abandoning him. Three years ago Kolyat had wanted to get back at his father at any cost, even his own future. Things had not been simpler back then, at least not for him.

"I still can't bring myself to regret anything that brought me here," he turned to face Oriana as she spoke, her smile was enough to melt him as if he were made of candle wax. Holding his gaze she said, "Everything happens for a reason, right?"

Without looking away from her lips he replied, "That's what they say."

Kolyat stared down at Oriana, his heart rate picking up as he breathed in her perfume. He watched, entranced, as she licked her bottom lip before biting down on it. Without watching what he was doing, Kolyat placed his mug on the shelf holding her picture frames and reached up for her face. He traced the line her jaw before using his thumb to release her lip from between her teeth. Oriana breathed in sharply in response to his touch, and Kolyat watched as her eyes dialated. Her nostrils flared and her eyes fluttered shut.

Oriana's chest rose as she breathed in deeply. Without opening her eyes she commented, "You smell really good."

Closing what little distance there was between them, he tilted her face up towards his and replied, "I'm more interested in how you taste." Kolyat pressed his lips against hers, desperately claiming her mouth as though she were water and he hadn't drank in days.

A soft moan sounded from her as she pressed her body against his. Kolyat wove his arms around her, pulling her closer against him. His hands trailed up her back, one stopping at the small of her back to secure her against him as the other held the back of her neck. His tongue tickled along her bottom lip, begging for entrance. When Oriana opened up to him Kolyat invaded her mouth with a groan, tasting the sweet chamomile on her tongue as it danced with his.

Her smell was in his nose, her taste in his mouth, her warmth was setting his body on fire and Kolyat felt this primal hunger to possess her, to take her as his. When Oriana pulled her mouth from his to suck in a breath, Kolyat kissed along her jaw until he reached her ear, where he stopped when he noticed how her chest was heaving excitedly against his. Curious, he gently kiss her ear. Oriana's breath hitched and it was all the confirmation he needed. Using his tongue he pulled her earlobe into his mouth and was rewarded by a needy groan.

As he licked her ear Oriana's body started to move against his. She pressed her chest against him, squirming in his arms as she moaned. Gently pushing her backwards, Kolyat moved his mouth from her ear to her neck as he guided her towards the couch.

When her knees hit the edge of the couch, Kolyat held onto her as he gently laid her down. They stared at each other for an anxious moment as one tried to anticipate the other's next move. Watching how her chest moved to her excited breathing, Kolyat placed a knee on the couch and lowered his face back down to hers.

Oriana wound her arms around his neck, pulling him against her as she demanded his lips to be returned to hers. She sucked on his tongue when he snaked it into her mouth, a moan sounding from her as she arched her body up to his. Kolyat felt unbearably hot as their bodies were pressed against each other so closely, his blood turning into vulcanic lava when he felt her breasts against his chest.

His hands roved over her body, feeling down her legs until he reached the hem of her skirt. Oriana's skin was smooth to the touch, hot under his scales. He felt up her leg, pushing her skirt aside as he moved. The way she moved to his touch, like she needed it, like she couldn't get enough spurred him on.

She unzipped his coat and burrowed her hands under the fabric, peeling the tight leather from his person without removing her lips from his. Kolyat shrugged out of his coat and tossed it aside. He combed his fingers through her hair as he held her face, imprisoning her mouth with his, their tongues dancing as their breathing became more and more desperate with each passing second.

Kolyat pulled away at the sound of Oriana giggling. He stared down at her curiously, watching as she gawked up at him for a moment before looking around her apartment as though seeing it for the first time. She gaped at her hand, turning it over before wiggling her fingers. Without looking at Kolyat she asked, "What did you do to me?"

He smiled down at her. Tucking her hair behind an ear, he explained. "It's my saliva. The chemicals in it can make humans hallucinate."

"You drugged me?" she giggled again and hid her mouth behind a delicate hand as she tried to wipe the dopey grin off of her lips.

"Sort of," Kolyat replied, kissing the tip of her nose. He stared down at her beautiful face and waited for her dialated gaze to meet his eyes. When she finally did he said, "It's been said that the high enhances the experience."

Oriana's grin grew and she snorted out a laugh. "What kind of experience are you implying, Kolyat Krios?" Her smile fell when she watched his features become serious.

He looked down from Oriana's dilated eyes to her reddened lips. They were so plush, so soft, and so different from his own. Kolyat wanted to see the rest of her, to find more of their differences and learn what made her sigh in delight. Carefully he reached for the buttons that held her blouse together.

Returning his gaze to hers he murmured, "Whatever experience you're willing to have, Oriana Lawson."

She licked her lips and swallowed hard as she also reached up for his top and started to unzip him. Consumed by nerves, Kolyat concentrated on keeping his fingers steady as he undid one button after the other until her blouse fell open and revealed her delicate white flesh to him. She was wearing a dark blue lace bra that supported the twin peaks of her breasts.

Kolyat cautiously placed a hand on the curve of her neck and slowly glided down toward her collar bone. He could feel her gaze on his features as he felt her soft warm skin under his scales, but he couldn't look away from the mouthwatering sight of her cleavage.

Drell women didn't have breasts, as they didn't produce nutrients from their own bodies as sustenance for their offspring. As Kolyat's fingers traced the lacy hem of her bra he decided that he _really_ liked this about human women.

Oriana arched her back with a moan as he lightly feathered his fingers over the soft skin of her breasts. Her eyelids fluttered shut and Kolyat watched her reaction to his touch with a hint of self-satisfaction. If he could make her react like this, while barely touching her, he wondered what he'd be able to do if he put his mind to it.

His voice was low, thick with his own desire as he asked, "Does this feel good?"

"Yes," she sighed, her body bending again as he followed the hem of her bra from one breast to the other.

Kolyat pressed his lips against hers again, seeking the familiar dance of their tongues as his hands explored the unfamiliar terrain below. As their tongues battled for dominance, Kolyat felt down Oriana's side until he found the zipper securing her skirt around her waist. He pulled it down slowly before breaking contact with her mouth to loom some distance above her. Kolyat watched Oriana's chest as she breathed erratically, trying to catch her breath now that he was no longer stealing it from her mouth.

His fingers were surprisingly steady as he traced a line from her collarbone, between her breasts, down her stomach to the waistband of her skirt. Flicking his gaze to meet hers, he waited a moment for her to protest, and when she didn't Kolyat hooked his fingers around the waistband to unsheathe her from her skirt. The first thing he saw were her panties, they were a lacy dark blue that matched her bra, before her long pale legs were revealed to him.

Kolyat leaned back to admire her and noticed when Oriana's gaze dropped from his face to gape at the tightness of his pants around his arousal. She licked her lips and fidgetted at the sight of him, her eyes fluttering before she met and held his gaze again. She did this to him. Kolyat was more aroused now than he had ever been in his entire life, and it was because Oriana Lawson was the sexiest creature he had ever seen in the entire galaxy.

He tossed her skirt over the back of the sofa as he watched her crawl further up the sofa, as though the dark look in his eyes was now scaring her; but she didn't look afraid. Her eyes wouldn't leave his face, and her mouth was slightly open as she breathed. She looked like his prey and if she ran now he would give chase.

Crawling back onto the sofa, he placed a hand on her waist to keep her from fleeing and returned his mouth to hers. Oriana gently bit down on his bottom lip, giving it a light tug as she wrapped her arms aroud his neck. A sound of surprise squeaked in her mouth when Kolyat grabbed hold of her and moved Oriana to straddle his lap.

His hands wandered up the plane of her back as he kissed her, slithering under her shirt and passing the hook of her bra before burrowing into her hair. Kolyat gently fisted the dark brown locks and carefully tugged her head back. She gasped as he bit into her neck before placing a soothing kiss on the area and doing it again.

Oriana's hips started to move against him, the pleasure the movement caused was so sudden that he bit into her neck harder than he'd intended. She cried out, a sound of pained ecstasy and he licked her neck apologetically as he removed his hands from her hair and roamed back down the curve of her hips.

Gripping her hips, he coaxed Oriana to continue rolling against him and threw his head back to groan when she did as instructed. The feeling was potent, a glamorous lure to a trap. This spine chilling sensation was a promise of the pleasure to come and Kolyat had to fight off the overwhelming desire to throw her onto the sofa and claim her as his own.

He looked back up at Oriana, his gaze hooded as he watched her move in his lap. She leaned forward, her hot breath caressing his neck before her lips made contact with his frill. Kolyat's hold on her hips tightened as the electrifying feeling of her tongue on his ribbing zapped straight into his spine.

Pleased by his reaction, she did it again. Dragging her tongue along his sensitive ribbing, Oriana grabbed a hold of his face and gently moved it to the side as she claimed her vengeance. The sound that came out of him was primal, beastly. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

As she studiously tasted his frill, Kolyat looked for the hooks securing her bra in place. He struggled to undo them, too unfamiliar with the blasted thing to get it off. Oriana chuckled against his neck. Leaning back she held his gaze as she reached around herself to undo it. He was enraptured by the wanton in her eyes. Oriana's desire for him matched his flame for flame, and the sight of it made his groin ache with insatiable need.

The straps of her bra fell off her shoulders as it came loose. Oriana didn't break eye contact as she shrugged off her blouse and removed her bra. She held it by the strap as she tossed it to the side. Kolyat's gaze fell from her blue eyes to the newly liberated breasts. He licked his lips at the sight of them, finding it suddenly impossible to breathe.

He moved his hands up her waist stopping just short of her breasts as uncertainty froze him in his tracks. The small smile that crawled across her swollen lips was encouraging as she placed her hands on top of his and guided him the rest of the way.

His breath was caught in his throat as the feel of her took his breath away. Oriana's scaleless flesh was so soft, but her breasts were gloriously different. They were still soft, the fatty mounds molded against his hands in a way that made his mouth water. He had never felt anything like them before, and as he curiously rolled them in his hands, Kolyat decided that he definitely liked this about human women.

His attention was drawn to her pearled pink nipples and he glanced up and her before pinching them between his fingers. A desperate gasp tore through her and she squeezed her eyes shut in delight as he tweaked her hardened nipples. Kolyat was marveled by her reaction, unable to look away from her face as she moaned under his touch.

He watched her lips move as she breathed out, "Suck on them."

His heart jumped into his throat. Swallowing hard against the nerves massing in his airway, he looked back down at her nipples still squeezed between his fingers. They were designed to give milk to her young. What would happen if he put one in his mouth and sucked?

Oriana's fingers wrapped around the back of his neck, the look in her eyes was pleading. She wanted this, needed his mouth on her breasts, and Kolyat would oblige her. He placed a tender kiss on her collar, another on the center of her chest, then one more on her breast before his tongue snaked out and trailed down to her nipple. He flicked over the hardened flesh, testing it with his tongue and gauging her reaction to him.

When Oriana moaned loudly, Kolyat covered her nipple with his mouth and sucked. Nothing came out as he suctioned the pearled pink flesh, only another blissful moan as Oriana rolled her hips more frantically against his lap. Kolyat bit down on her hardened peak, unable to help his reaction to the feeling of her grinding against him, and she wrapped her hands around the back of his head to secure him there.

Kolyat divided his attention evenly to both of her twin peaks, pinching one as he sucked on the other until it was time to reverse. Soon Oriana was writhing in his lap and Kolyat's blood felt so hot that he thought that if she kept up the friction they would both combust into flames.

"Kolyat," the desperation in her voice was a reflection of the desperation he felt in his pants.

He released her nipple from his mouth and looked up to watch the flames of desire flicker in her blue irises. Kolyat stared into her enrapturing eyes and asked, "Where's your bedroom?"

An approving smirk unearthed on her lips. "Let me show you," she replied before climbing off of his lap and offering him her hand. When Kolyat placed his hand in hers she pulled him off of the sofa and guided him through the apartment toward her bedroom.

His gaze was on the exquisite sight of her backside as he followed her down the short hall to her room. All he needed was a glance at the room and he'd have it committed to memory, one he could reflect on later, much later, after they had created other memories in this room.

Oriana led him to the bed where she turned to face him. Her soft delicate hands felt down his body as she sat on the edge of the mattress, trailing down his chest and abdominals until her fingers were on the waistband of his pants. She smiled up at him then, a look of wanton thick on her features as she unbuckled his belt before undoing his pants and tugging them down past his ass.

Kolyat watched her eyes widen as his erection sprang free from the tight confines of his pants. Oriana gaped at him for a beat, her gaze curious as she took in the sight of his arousal. His genitals weren't much different from a human male's. There was a sensitive bulb at the end of his ribbed shaft. Yes, his penis was the same maroon shade as the frill that lined his jaw and neck, but the display was relatively similar to what she'd find on her own kind.

Tilting her head, Oriana reached for his shaft and carefully wrapped her fingers along his base as she felt his length with a slow revenant stroke. A moan sounded from him at the feel of her soft fingers around his cock. The gentle friction was amazing, sending a chill up his spine.

When he looked down he was met by her blue eyes. She was watching him closely, observing his every reaction to her touches as though he was her science experiment. He groaned out again when she ran the pad of her thumb over the tip of his cock, sending a sharp electric bolt through him. Oriana returned her attention to the task at hand and licked her lips before taking Kolyat into her mouth.

It was his saliva that was supposed to be potent, not hers; but Oriana's mouth was a drug more dangerous than the most refined red sand. Her tongue was hot like the sun, a fiery whip that dragged along the base of his member as it was drowned by the volcanic liquid of her saliva. Kolyat threw his head back and moaned, overwhelmed by the heat of her, by the intensity of her mouth surrounding him so completely that he was trapped where he stood.

Not sure what to do with his hands, he buried his fingers in her hair, feeling the soft silky strands as she bobbed on his cock. Clenching his eyes tightly shut, Kolyat was lost in her mouth. A pool of fire was growing in his loins, its tendrils flaring and licking through his nerve endings until the white hot fire threatened to consume him. If she kept this up he would come, and he didn't want to until he felt what it was like to be inside of her.

He fisted her hair in his hands and gently stopped her from bobbing back down on his cock. When Oriana criously met his gaze a smirk twisted the corners of her mouth at what she saw in his eyes. Kolyat didn't have the mind to wonder how he must look to her. All he could think about was burying himself inside of her. It was his only thought, his only want, an overpowering need.

As he pushed his pants off the rest of the way, Oriana scooted backwards up the bed, not daring to remove her eyes from his for even a second. Kolyat climbed onto the bed after her, stalking her, prowling after his prey.

When her back was met by the headboard he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her back down towards him. A surprised yelp sounded from her but there was only passion in Oriana's blue eyes. Kolyat grabbed her panties and ripped them down her legs, not caring if he ripped the delicate fabric in the process.

Tossing her underwear over his shoulder, Kolyat stared down at the work of art beneath him. Her soft white skin was flawless like the freshly fallen snow he'd seen on vids of Noveria. There was a small patch of black fur on her pelvis, a trimmed strip that guided his gaze down to her moist folds.

He ran his hands down her thighs to her knees, waiting for her to protest, to stop him from passing the point of no return. When not a single protest sounded from her, Kolyat pushed her knees apart, coaxing her legs to spread for him and let him see the beauty of her femininity.

The sweet scent of her arousal filled his nose, and Kolyat firmly gripped her knees to keep from taking her before he got to explore her to her entirety. Shepard had been wrong. Human and drell females had very different parts. Oriana's glistening folds resembled a flower, pink and delicate petals begging for his touch.

He lowered himself on the bed, getting a closer look at the wondrous sight of her sprawled open before him. Kolyat dared to touch her petals and was rewarded by a jolted jerk of her hips and her soft whimper. He felt the wet folds and inspected the moisture on his fingers. Her natural lubricant smelled so sweet and he wondered . . .

He rubbed her labia again, all the way up to the bud where her lips met. Oriana jerked again when he pressed on her clit and he rubbed her there for a moment before trailing back down. He got his fingers nice and wet before placing them in his mouth and tasting her sweet nectar on his tongue. She tasted better than he had imagined.

Unable to help himself for a moment longer, Kolyat hurriedly lowered his mouth onto her sex with the desperation of a starved man. The sounds she made as he lapped at her, licking up her dripping wet folds, it was an aphrodisiac unto itself. Her hips gyrated against his face as he flicked his tongue over her clit before sucking it into his mouth. While he concentrated on licking her whole, top to bottom and back again, he plunged a finger into her vagina and the both of them moaned in response. All he could imagine was his cock in place of his finger. How her molten hot core would hug him so snuggly.

Her desperate breathing kept him where he was, trapped him between her legs. She was crazed now, frantically moaning and moving as he licked her petals, sucking on her clit, and strumming her insides with his conjoined fingers. Kolyat matched his pace with her breathing, licking and sucking as his fingers glided in and out of her. Her thighs squeezed around his head, her hands were on the serrated scales on his scalp as a loud cry broke free from her lips. Oriana's back arched, the walls of her vagina pulsating around his fingers as she came. Kolyat lapped up his sweet reward before she loosened her thighs around him.

Kneeling between her legs, Kolyat watched her features as she came down from her orgasm. Heavy pants racked through her and Oriana threaded her fingers through her hair as she chuckled in what sounded like disbelief. She looked up at him, an appreciative smile on her lips that grew at the sight of the self-satisfaction on his face.

Kolyat grabbed her by the hips again, tugging her pelvis back down toward his throbbing erection. He rubbed his aching cock along her wet folds, lubricating his ribbed member before pausing at her entrance. He held her gaze, giving her one final chance to voice her disapproval. What he got instead was a consenting nod, and Kolyat leaned forward on one arm as he slowly sheathed his cock inside of her inch by inch.

"Kolyat," She moaned as he stretched her out, her hot wet walls adjusting to accommodate him. When he was buried inside of her to the hilt, Kolyat dared to move, shutting his eyes to savor the delicasy of her molten heat encompassing him, tightly surrounding him until his brain was numb to everything but her.

With his free hand, Kolyat felt down her thigh, held the back of her knee, and bent her leg up. Her hot walls tightened around him and he groaned out it delight. The bed creaked as he pumped in and out of her, the wildfire in his loins growing hotter and hotter as he pushed himself closer and closer to the edge.

"Oh God," Oriana cried out, her voice pinched with wanton and desperation. "Harder, Kolyat. Fuck me harder."

Her demands were the sexiest words he had ever heard in his entire life. Unable to disobey the beauty beneath him, Kolyat rammed into her harder, each thrust jostling her and shaking the bed. He felt her core start to tighten around his cock and the immense pleasure it caused was like pouring rocket fuel onto the wildfire raging inside of him. Kolyat frantically plowed into her until her walls started throbbing around his cock, shoving him completely over the edge.

A blinding white light seared his eyes shut as Kolyat collapsed onto Oriana, the intensity of his climax shaping his body to hers as wave after wave poured out of him. Afraid that he might suffocate her under his weight, he rolled to the side and stared at the ceiling as he caught his breath. Oriana crawled nearer to him and pressed herself to his side. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Kolyat secured her there and played with her hair as he waited for the fog to clear his mind.

After a minute or so passed Oirana pressed a long tender kiss to his chest and said, "That was definitely worth sitting through Hamlet."

A soft chuckle rumbled in his chest. Placing a kiss on the top of her head, he replied, "How about next time we skip right to the main event?"

Oriana looked up at him, a happy grin on her plump lips as she agreed. "That's fine by me, Krios."


	5. Intoxicated - The Cab

**Intoxicated - The Cab**

Heat. All she could feel was heat, a radiating warmth that was becoming overbearing. Oriana tried to move, to gain some ground against this all-consuming inferno but she was held prisoner to it, wrapped up in its fiery embrace. Squeezing her eyes shut, she growled in discontent, and when her complaint went unnoticed she resorted to whining.

"Kole," she complained, trying again to move out from under his arm. When he hummed in reply, Oriana said, "You're hot."

He pulled her more tightly against him, burrowing deeper into the mattress as he refused to stir from his slumber. Kolyat's raspy voice murmured in her ear, "Thank you."

"No," she fought back the smirk his words summoned onto her lips. "Hot, as in your body temperature. Let go of me."

Kolyat wrapped his arm more snuggly around her in response. "No."

She tried to pry his arm from around her waist, grunting and groaning as his superior strength won out over hers. After struggling for a few seconds, Oriana kicked her feet and whined, "Kole!"

"No." He nuzzled her neck and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

Oriana bit back the grin his curt protests caused her. Managing the most stern tone of voice she could, she said, "Kolyat Krios, if you don't unhand me this very second I swear to your gods and mine that I will make your life a living hell."

His breath spilled onto her neck as he considered. Just as Oriana was about to elbow him in the ribcage he released her with an exaggerated, "_Fine_. I'm sorry for hassling you with my affection."

"Oh, don't you start," she grumbled as she inched her way to the other side of the bed, hiding her smile from him even if she couldn't keep it from threading into her voice. Hugging the pillow, she welcomed the cool side of the mattress with a sigh. As soon as she got comfortable the alarm started to sound on her omni-tool, reminding her of her morning classes.

Sitting up with a groan, Oriana rubbed the sleep from her eyes before staring down at the handsome drell curled up on the bed beside her. Her previous smile returned to her lips with full force as she crawled on top of him and showered him with kisses.

This time it was Kolyat who struggled to be free. As he tried to dodge her puckered lips, Oriana laughed, "Wake up, sleepy head. You have to get ready for work."

"No," he protested, resorting to cupping Oriana's cheeks in his hands and securing her at arm's length. The smile on his plump blue lips was showstopping. When she tried to lower her face back down to his, he pleaded, "Ten more minutes."

"Ten minutes and you won't have time for breakfast." she argued. "Five minutes."

"Eight."

"Six, take it or leave it."

"Sold," he released her face and turned onto his side, swiftly banishing her from his sight.

Rolling her eyes, Oriana climbed off of her boyfriend and walked into the bathroom. She started the shower before stepping in front of the sink and cringing at the sight of her reflection. Patting down her bed-ruffled hair, she reached for her toothbrush and started her morning routine.

Shepard's apartment was certainly an upgrade from the hole Kolyat had called home before moving in with the Commander. It was roomy and stylish, and located right off of the SilverSun Strip. This living arrangement had started a few weeks ago, one of the stipulations of Shepard's release from Huerta Memorial.

So far it was fun living with the war hero. Shepard was funny and unproblematic, even if she had her moods; and she let Kolyat and her do whatever they pleased. She did her thing and they did theirs and there was peace. Technically Oriana didn't actually live here with them, but she spent enough time over that it was almost like she did. She spent more nights in Kolyat's bed than she did in her own. Stepping out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around herself as she considered that fact.

Kolyat was brushing his teeth when she emerged from her steamy morning shower. Rinsing his mouth clean, he wiped his face on the hand towel hanging on a nearby rack before he addressed her. "My father died of Kepral's Syndrome, Ori," he commented, his expression serious. The slight twitch at the corner of his mouth was the only tell that he was teasing her. "It's a little insensitive that you're trying to kill me the same way with all this steam."

"When I want you dead, Kole, I'm not going to waste my time trying to kill you slowly."

He quirked an eyebrow, surprised. "When?"

Oriana nodded, fighting her smile down to a teasing smirk. "Keep up the sass and you might have to start sleeping with one eye open." When Kolyat made a playfully doubtful face in reply, Oriana walked past him back into his room. She pulled open the closet and retrieved his C-Sec uniform and an outfit for her, and spread them out over the bed.

"So I was thinking," she said over the sound of him turning the shower back on. "Maybe it's time that you and my sister formally meet."

She could feel it when he emerged from the bathroom, and turned to find him leaning against the doorframe, watching her as she started to get ready for the day ahead of them. The expression on Koyat's face was uncertain, maybe even a little weary. Oriana knew that he knew about her sister. She was a common topic of conversation, and he'd spent enough time with Shepard's former crewmates to get a pretty decent grasp on who Miranda was; and it looked like what he'd learned made him uncomfortable.

Trying to quell his unvoiced concerns, Oriana started, "Miranda isn't that bad, Kole. Yes, she's more than a little over-protective, but she's understanding and respects my decisions. We've been dating for a while now. It's been more than enough time. The two people I care most about should finally meet."

His uncertainty remained thickly painted on his features. "I don't think it's such a good idea, Ori." To the stern expression she was boring into him, Kolyat inserted, "She's an ex-Cerberus Operative."

"Yes," she agreed. "_Ex_-Cerberus. The group died during the Reaper War, and she cut affiliation with them long before then."

"Still," he pushed himself off of the doorframe and walked into the room. Holding her by the shoulders Kolyat tried to explain his meaning. "Cerberus, the human elitist terrorist group. I'm sure this isn't news to you, babe, but I'm a drell."

Oriana's jaw fell, flabbergasted. She took a step back from him, mock horror on her features. Shaking her head in disbelief she demanded, "Since when?"

Ignoring her exaggeratedly sardonic response, he continued, "She isn't going to like her younger sister dating a drell. She's going to hate me."

"This isn't about race, Kole," she reasoned. Oriana cupped his cheek in her hand and thumbed over the arch where his frill met the serrated scales of his cheekbones. Staring into his gorgeous cerulean eyes, she tried to make him hear her sincerity. "This is about my happiness. You, Kolyat Krios, make me happy; and all my big sister wants is for me to be happy. So let's have her over for dinner and show her that you make me the happiest I have ever been."

Kolyat stared down at her for a while, his eyes inspecting her features and gauging how much this meant to her. After almost a full minute had passed, his shoulders sagged with defeat and he nodded. "Alright, Ori. If that's what you want."

"It is," she nodded, a victorious grin on her lips.

Shaking his head at the sight of her smile, he said, "I'll run it by Anya to see if we can have dinner here." before retreating back into the bathroom.

Satisfied with her victory, Oriana picked her clothes off of the bed and started getting dressed. By the end of Kolyat's shower she was fully clothed and ready to go. She left him in the room to get into his uniform, and went down stairs to find Shepard having a bowl of cereal at the kitchen counter.

"Good morning, Shepard," she said in greeting as she approached the refrigerator. Shepard nodded in reply, her mouth too full to articulate a response. Pulling open the refrigerator door, Oriana peered inside in search of some breakfast, humming softly as she reclused into warmer thoughts. She located the bowl of pre-cut fruit she'd prepared for Kolyat the night before and happily removed it from the fridge. Settling on just having a bagel for breakfast, she set the food on the countertop and was halfway through toasting her bagel before she realized that Shepard had been trying to talk to her.

Blinking herself back into focus, she offered the retired Commander an apologetic smile and said, "I'm sorry, Shepard. I was thinking."

Arching a mildly teasing eyebrow, Shepard guessed, "About Kolyat?"

Oriana bit back her embarrassment even though she felt her face flush. "Maybe," she replied, unashamed.

"_Tu-fira_," said Shepard, a rueful smile on her lips. To the question in Oriana's quirked eyebrow, she explained, "It means to be lost in another. You two are very much _tu-fira_. It's cute." There was a somber shadow in the woman's emerald eyes, a darkness that she visibly fought from reaching the rest of her features.

As Shepard turned to leave her in the kitchen, Oriana stopped her with the question, "Were you and Thane _tu-fira_?" She hated seeing that consuming sadness in Shepard's eyes, hated knowing that she was suffering from something that had no cure but time. All Oriana wanted to do was remind her of the good memories she had shared with Thane.

Her back was to Oriana, ramrod straight as though the question was a threat to her life. Turning her head, she answered, "We were," before inserting, "Now I'm just lost." and fleeing for her room.

Oriana watched Shepard go, feeling as though she'd mistakenly said exactly the wrong thing. Before she could retrieve her bagel from the toaster and continue with her breakfast, she jumped at the sight of Kolyat suddenly standing behind her. Looking up into his black and cerulean eyes, she saw his concern for the Commander in those beautiful depths.

"Is everything okay?" he wondered, his rumbling voice vibrating the air around her.

When he glanced down at her, she looked towards the stairs and shook her head. Sighing, she answered, "It's going to be another one of those nights."

Kolyat pursed his lips thoughtfully before nodding his understanding and taking his fruit from the counter. He walked over to the island and claimed one of the bar stools there. She watched him as he picked at his fruit. They'd been together long enough for her to learn a thing or two about Kolyat, like how he wasn't prone to sharing his thoughts. But she'd also learned to read his expressions, and right now Kolyat was worried. He cared a great deal about Shepard, and her emotional well being was a large concern of his.

Before her release from Huerta Memorial Shepard had been on suicide watch, and technically she still was. When she got like this, the darkness prevalent in her eyes, it made Kolyat uneasy. Tonight there would be nightmares, the kind that woke them up in the middle of the night because Shepard would scream bloody murder. Despite the severity of the situation, Oriana couldn't help but find Kolyat's care for the Commander endearing.

Shaking the morose thoughts from her mind, Oriana removed her breakfast from the toaster to be lathered with cream cheese. She took a bite out of her cream cheese covered bagel as she wandered over to Kolyat's seat. Oriana leaned on the counter, glancing down at his fruit when one caught her attention. A large, mouthwatering raspberry was calling her name from his bowl.

She gave Kolyat a brief glance before snatching the raspberry from the collection of assorted fruit. Kolyat's incredulous gaze snapped to her, his brows furrowed with displeasure. Just as he was about to scold her for her blatant theft, Oriana offered him a bite of her bagel.

He took the bite with narrowed eyes. "Saved by the bagel," muttered Kolyat.

A playful simper curled her lips. Waving on her omni-tool she glanced at the time and shoved the rest of her bagel into her mouth. She grabbed the data-pad off of the countertop and retrieved her violin case from beside the piano. When Kolyat did nothing more than stare, a small amused smile playing on his lips, she explained past a mouthful of half chewed food. "We're going to be late."

Kolyat glanced at his own omni-tool, confirming the time before getting up from his seat and casually putting his empty bowl in the sink. Unhurried, he crossed the kitchen towards the door and waited patiently for Oriana to finish scrambling to get her last minute things together and join him at the exit. When she was finally standing beside him, data-pad tucked under her arm, violin in hand, shoes on, and class notes uploaded, he smiled at her in that way that translated to 'how are you still not ready when you had more time than me?' To which she stuck out her tongue in reply.

They left the apartment together, catching a ride at the rapid transit terminal. It was a short uneventful trip from the SilverSun strip to the Presidium. As the cab dropped Kolyat off in front of the C-Sec offices he gave her a quick kiss goodbye before stepping out of the sky-car.

"I'll see you tonight, babe."

Before he could shut the door behind him, Oriana asked, "Wait. What do you want for dinner?"

"Whatever you want to make, Ori." When she pouted at him he replied with a teasing smirk, "I have to go. Have fun with your classes." Tapping the hood of the taxi, he stepped away before the shutting door removed his arm.

Dissatisfied with his answer, she crossed her arms and settled back into her seat. Oriana watched the other sky-cars and passing scenery for a moment before deciding to call her sister and officially invite her to dinner. A mixture of excitement and nerves started fluttering in her belly. She wanted tonight to be perfect. Oriana wanted Miranda to love Kolyat as much as she did.

Activating her omni-tool she sent out a vid-call request and waited for her sister to accept. After a few seconds a projection of her sister's face appeared before her. There was a pleasant smile on Miranda's lips, a warm greeting from one sister to the other.

"_Ori_," Miranda's voice was mildly scolding as it filled the cab. "_Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?_"

Oriana bit back the defensive response that nearly came out. Sometimes Miranda was a little overbearing, but it was because it was the only way her older sister knew how to demonstrate her love. Even though the constant snooping and spying got under Oriana's skin more often than not, it was still one of the many things she loved about her sister. She wouldn't have Miranda any other way.

"I'm running a little late," she shrugged as though it weren't cause for alarm, which it wasn't, but that wasn't going to stop her sister. Before Miranda could remind her how important her education was and how she should have been taking her classes more seriously, Oriana asked, "Do you want to have dinner tonight?"

Miranda glanced off screen to check her schedule, Oriana assumed. She curtly nodded her approval and said, "_I'll make reservations at your favorite place._" Fiddling with her private terminal Miranda wondered, "_Does seven o'clock sound alright?_"

"It does," Oriana agreed but before Miranda could go ahead and make the reservations she added, "but I was hoping that you could come over to Shepard's place for dinner instead."

Stopping what she was doing, Miranda returned her attention to Oriana. She gave her sister a measured look, curiosity and suspicion coloring her features. "_What's this about, Ori?_"

"This is about meeting my boyfriend," she answered. When Miranda was about to open her mouth and respond, Oriana spoke before she could rescind her agreement to their dinner plans. "I've been dating Kole for a while, Miri, and you haven't met him once. I want you to get to know him."

Miranda scoffed at her last statement, disapproval in her blue eyes. _"I know Kolyat Krios better than you do, Oriana._"

She rolled her eyes. Miranda was using her full name, she was going to make this a much bigger deal than it had to be. "Yes, I'm sure you dug up all the dirt there is on him -"

"_I did_," said Miranda before she could complete her thought. "_And I was around when he was making the dirt. I don't know how well you __think__you know him -_"

This time it was Oriana's turn to cut off her sister. "Kolyat is more than words in a file. He's sweet, and he's thoughtful, and he makes me happy." She was almost at school and she didn't have time to hash out an entire argument with her sister; even if she did, this wasn't an argument that she was up to having. "So we are going to have a nice dinner at Shepard's place, you are going to get to know my boyfriend, and you are going to reserve your judgments. Got it?"

The expression on Miranda's face was proud, as though she were impressed by Oriana's control of the conversation. After a second she sighed in defeat and agreed. "_Alright, Ori. I'll be there at seven_."

"I'll see you then." She disconnected the call before allowing a victorious grin to spread over her lips. That was twice that she'd gotten her way today. Oriana wondered if she'd have the same luck trying to convince her professor to let her switch lab partners. As the sky-car descended onto the university's platform she decided that it was worth a try.

"Kole," she shouted into the apartment as she dragged in bags of groceries.

The drell appeared from the stairs, quickly descending to help her with her bags. "Hey, babe." He greeted her with a brief kiss to the forehead before relieving her of some of the groceries. As he walked over the to kitchen to start putting things away, Kolyat wondered, "How was school?"

"We got the test scores back from the last test," Oriana informed him while she also put the groceries away. Knowing what his next question would be, she answered before he had the chance to ask. "I got a B." She shook her head, glaring at the jar of tomato sauce in her hand as she grumbled, "Miranda's going to kill me."

"Over a B?" His tone implied that he thought she was being dramatic. Obviously he didn't know her sister.

"A B isn't an A. B's are average. The Lawson sister's are _not_ average." Putting the jar in the pantry beside the canned vegetables and salted crackers, she explained, "That B brings my perfect grade down three whole points."

"Well," Kolyat tried to sound supportive, though it was clear that he didn't really understand what the issue was. "It's nothing that some chicken marsala won't solve."

"You're right," she agreed, resolute. Offering Kolyat a playful simper, Oirana announced, "I'll just eat my problems."

Kolyat made a soft amused sound and shook his head as he turned around to help get dinner started. Deciding to worry about her less than perfect grade later, Oriana retrieved the cutting board from the cupboard and a knife from the drawer. As she started to dice some mushrooms she noticed that a certain surly retired Commander was nowhere in sight.

Without lifting her attention from her task, she wondered, "Where's Shepard?"

"The Armax Arena," Kolyat came up beside her and stole one of the cut mushrooms from her workstation. When Oriana bumped him in the shoulder as punishment, he continued, "Jack took her out a little while ago. She'll be back in time for dinner."

Oriana cut the last bit of the mushroom before moving onto the next vegetable up on the chopping block. "That's good," she hummed, glad that Shepard still had friends that cared about her and worried for her like they did. "Maybe tonight will be a good night after all."

"Maybe." There was a hopeful note to his tone.

Watching as the cilantro fell to pieces under her blade, Oriana allowed herself to sink into her task. She and Kolyat worked around the kitchen, picking up a rhythm as they moved in unison to get dinner cooked. A small smile brushed across her lips as she welcomed this comfortable atmosphere that settled between them.

Oriana loved moments like this, when they were so in sync that it was like they'd been together for years instead of the few months that had actually gone by. She and Kolyat were just so . . . _tu-fira_. Her smile grew. Kolyat was an overwhelming man, consuming her thoughts and her heart. She could hardly remember what life had been like before him, before waking up beside him in the morning or stealing fruit from his plate during breakfast. When they were together it was like the rest of the galaxy stopped existing and there was only him.

It was with that thought that Oriana made the not so startling realization. She loved Kolyat, so much that it hurt. She could only hope that her sister would see that and love him too.

"What are you smiling about?" wondered Kolyat as he started warming up the seasoning for the chicken.

Her smile grew as she shrugged. "Tonight's going to be perfect." she replied, not a doubt in her mind.


	6. Do It To Me - Allstar Weekend

**Do It To Me - Allstar Weekend**

* * *

"Alright children, gather round." Officer Tanya Parker stood at the desk on the far side of the room. The sergeant was a self-proclaimed hard-ass and lived up to her well deserved reputation, though there were times like this one where she allowed her underlings to see her softer side.

Kolyat leaned back in his seat as he waited for the rest of the officers to settle down enough to hear their patrols. Beside him, Burnek tapped his talons on the table and gave Kolyat a slight shake of his head. There was something up with his turian partner. The normally good-natured male was introverted enough to compete on a level that Kolyat claimed for himself. After Sergeant Parker gave them their sector he'd find out what was up, for now Kolyat focused on the human woman that had the floor.

The Sergeant was a tall woman, her skin tone the same shade as the heavily creamed coffee that Shepard drank in the morning. Her hair was black and her eyes a dark brown, she was what Kolyat understood to be of Arabic descent. She was a strong looking woman, though Kolyat wouldn't personally call her attractive. Not everyone could look like Oriana, he supposed.

"To the rookie who keeps forgetting the importance of citations, don't," she made an I-got-my-eyes-on-you gesture to one of the officers in the back of the room. "Looking at you Ikar." When the others started making various noises to haze their fellow officer, Sergeant Parker lifted a hand to silence the room again. She picked a datapad off of the desk she was leaning on and returned to business. "Alright, kids, let's get to your rounds. Oluk and Trigane, you're on 27th and 35th."

"That's not our district, Sarg."

Sergeant Parker made an exasperated expression before flicking through the datapad in her hands. "It isn't? Well let's just check where it says that I'm supposed to give a damn." Looking back up to face the officers in question she stated, "That's right. It doesn't. That's your assignment, suck it up." She listed through the officers, naming districts to each team until Kolyat and Burnek's sector was called out. After a short debriefing she dismissed the group to their jobs and returned to her own.

"Be safe out there," said Sergeant Parker as the C-Sec officers cleared the room.

Burnek didn't wait for Koyat to gather his things off of the table before bolting for the door. By the time Kolyat found him at his locker, the turian was already prepared to go.

Placing his belongings into his locker, Kolyat gave his partner a sidelong glance as he wondered, "Is everything alright, Burnek?"

"Yeah," was the turian's curt reply. His mandibles fluttered that way they did when he was lying and the absence of his subharmonics was further evidence that he was hiding something. "Everything's great."

Knowing not to force the subject, Kolyat nodded in acceptance of the answer before shutting his locker and gesturing for Burnek to lead them to the waiting shuttle. They travelled quietly through the busy Citadel airway traffic, Burnek's silence weighing down the atmosphere as Kolyat waited for him to be ready to confess what the problem was.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, Burnek sighed. He used the calloused pads of his forefingers to rub his eyes as he finally decided to talk to Kolyat. "I think I'm in serious trouble, Krios."

Kolyat looked at him then, tilting his head slightly when the sound of Burnek's subharmonics trilled with uncertainty. Furrowing his brows, he waited for the turian to meet his gaze before he asked, "What kind of trouble, Burnek? What happened?"

"It's not like that," Burnek assured him to the overly concerned shine in Kolyat's eyes. He shook his head, "I'm not in danger or anything. I'm just -" His amber gaze was pointed over Kolyat's shoulder as he tried to find his words. After a moment he returned his attention to Kolyat. "You and Oriana are in love, right?"

Taken aback by the question, Kolyat blinked in surprise. He took a moment to consider the question before answering with the obvious truth. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

There was a slight desperation in his partner's amber eyes, a need for answers to questions he hadn't yet asked. "How did you know?"

Kolyat leaned back into his seat, breaking Burnek's inquiring gaze as he thought over the question. It was a difficult question to answer, but the determined look in the turian's eyes demanded a response. "I'm not sure that there's a better answer than 'I just did'." He gave his partner an apologetic look but continued to explain as best he could. "It wasn't like I got hit in the head and got a love concussion."

When Burnek coughed out a laugh at the visual, Kolyat shook his head and shrugged. "It was more like the more time I spent with her the more I realized how intense my feelings were." He looked away from his partner's curious eyes and stared out of the shuttle's windshield as they neared the district they would be patrolling.

Sighing, he tried to better elaborate his meaning. "When we sleep, Oriana will start the night on one side of the bed and wake up on the other. She turns up the music really loud and dances when she cleans the apartment." He chuckled at the memory of him returning home from work one afternoon to find her shaking her bottom as she dusted the entertainment center. The mirth fell slightly from his features as he continued. "Sometimes when my step-mother has really bad nightmares Oriana will cry because she can't bear the sound of someone else's suffering."

Kolyat smiled softly to himself, the warmth of his feelings filling his veins with endorphins that made his heart skip happily. "If I wake up in the middle of the night, I'll watch her sleep for a little while because there's just something about her that makes me feel whole." Returning his gaze to Burnek, he admitted, "I didn't realize how much I love Oriana until I forced myself to imagine my life without her." Kolyat shook his head, banishing the pain of that thought from his mind. "When I _couldn't_ imagine my life without her, I just knew."

Taking in a breath, Kolyat allowed a warm smile to curl the edges of his mouth before he asked, "What's this about, Burnek?"

The turian shook his head. His mandibles flicked as he pointed his gaze out the window, searching for his words while his subharmonics whirred with too many emotions for Kolyat to accurately identify. After a minute Burnek glanced at Kolyat and asked, "Do you remember that night that we went to Purgatory and ran into Oriana and her friend."

"I'm a drell, Burnek," he playfully reminded him. "I remember everything up to the time I first opened my eyes."

Burnek waved off Kolyat's jibe and continued to his point. "The asari that Oriana had been with -"

"Mau," Kolyat supplied.

Nodding, his partner said, "After that night we started seeing each other off and on for a while. A few months ago it started getting serious."

Kolyat quirked an eyebrow in surprise. They were partners, they worked together day in and day out, this shouldn't have been news to him. "Why didn't you say anything?"

The turian shrugged. "We weren't partnered up back then, but before that night at Purgatory I used to be a bit of a lady's man." Burnek shook his head as though he couldn't quite believe what had become of that reputation. "And then I met Mau and something changed."

To the expectant look that Kolyat was giving him, Burnek explained, "Humans have this ongoing debate over whether or not there's such thing as soul-mates, but for turians it's scientifically proven fact. Some turians will go their entire lives searching for their bond-mate and others will find one another in their adolescence. I was one of the few that was happy to just go on about my business without a mate to hold me back."

"Let's face it," he gave Kolyat a smirk. "I love the ladies, always have. Turian, asari, quarian, hell I've even hooked up with a few humans, race never mattered to me. I never wanted a bond-mate because I never wanted the sexual escapades to end. But then we went to Purgatory and I started talking to Mau, and it was like something just clicked."

Surprised for the second time this conversation, Kolyat guessed, "She's your bond-mate."

"I think so," was his distant reply. Burnek blinked hard, his mandibles twitching and his subharmonics vibrating with a mixture of annoyance and something else Kolyat hadn't yet identified. "I tried to fight it for a long time. For months I'd dodge her calls and attempts to reach me, only to hook up with her out of the blue and stay with her until I started to feel like I couldn't breathe without her; then I'd disappear again and the cycle would repeat. That was the dynamic of our relationship until a few months ago. She invited me over to blow off some steam one night and I've spent every night there ever since."

"You're not going to like what I'm about to tell you, Burnek," Kolyat grimaced teasingly at his turian friend, pretending that his next words would hurt him as much as they would hurt his partner. "It sounds like you're in love."

"I know," Burnek groaned, burying his face in his talons.

Smiling at his friend, Kolyat shook his head at Burnek's dramatic response before asking, "So, why are you in serious trouble?"

"Well," he sighed, peeling his face out from his hands to meet and hold Kolyat's inquisitive gaze. "For one thing, she's only eighty one, going on eighty two. In asari years that means she's still practically a teenager. She's only been in the maiden stage for a few decades. We can be together my whole life and she'd still have a good two and a half centuries before hitting the matron stage."

"Ah," Kolyat was starting to understand what the problem was. "You're afraid that she won't be ready to settle down with you."

"Not in my lifetime," confirmed Burnek with a nod. "If she's my bond-mate like I think she is -like I _know_ she is- then the next logical step in our relationship would be for me to mark her as mine."

Kolyat nodded as though he followed. "Logically," he stated, unsure how it was the 'logical' next step.

Ignoring the uncertainty in Kolyat's agreeing response, he said, "I never wanted to settle down before, but now that my bond-mate might be too young to want to start a family with me I feel like I'll miss the best part of what our relationship can be."

He stared at his friend for a moment. Offering Burnek a slight smile, Kolyat wondered, "Can I make a suggestion?" When the turian eagerly nodded he said, "Maybe you should talk to her about it." Burnek made a disagreeing sound but Kolyat continued before he could give voice to his doubts. "She's her own individual person. Statistics and averages don't define Mau's feelings or desires. Just because the average asari doesn't enter the matron stage until she's over three hundred years old, doesn't mean that Mau won't want to start a family with you sooner. But you'll never know until you've both talked about it."

Burnek was silent for a moment, considering Kolyat's words, his mandibles flicking as he thought. The silence joined them the rest of the way to their sector. Only when the shuttle had descended onto the landing pad did his turian partner speak again. "Maybe you're right."

Gathering himself out of his seat, Kolyat scoffed, "Don't sound so surprised."

A chuckle rumbled from Burnek as he followed Kolyat off of the shuttle and onto the Citadel's pedestrian crowded streets. "I can count on one hand the amount of times you've been right about anything, Krios. On the rare occasion that it happens, it's a little surprising."

His subharmonics were whirring with mirth, making Kolyat let the jab slide at least for now.

* * *

He could hear the heartwarming sound of Oriana's violin from the hall outside the apartment. Kolyat smiled to himself as he entered the passcode to the front door and entered their home. Glancing to the expansive windows to the left, he allowed his smile to grow when he found Oriana standing in her usual spot as she practiced with the stringed instrument.

Kolyat didn't recognize the song she was playing, but it was a sweet melancholic sound. The beautiful tune was heartbreaking and awe inspiring all at the same time, and he knew for whom she was playing. His smile faltered as he looked at the framed photo of his father still resting on the piano's surface.

It had been several days since Shepard left the Citadel to do some top secret Spectre assignment. Her decision to get back onto the field wouldn't have bothered him so much if he didn't know what had pushed her to do it. Their awkward and traumatizing morning with the second human Spectre had broken something inside of Anya. For as long as he'd known her there had always been a shadow in her eyes, but after that day the shadow had darkened. When Anya left for her assignment their goodbye felt so final.

She hadn't bothered to calm his worry with assurances that she'd be back. Anya had hugged him tightly and confessed that she loved him. She'd left him the apartment and everything in it, only asking that he take care of himself as payment. Kolyat and Oriana both knew that Anya left without the intention of coming back, and now they were just waiting for the call informing them that their worst fears had finally come to pass.

Without kicking off his boots to make himself more comfortable, Kolyat crossed the room to where Oriana was still playing. She was too caught up in her ballad to realize that she wasn't alone, a common occurrence when she played her emotions. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Oriana jumped in surprise and sharply turned to face her attacker.

Sighing in relief at the sight of him, a soft smile brushed across Oriana's soft lips as she welcomed him home. "I didn't hear you come in," she said before standing on the tips of her toes to give him a tender kiss. When she was standing again on the flat of her feet, she wondered, "How was work," and moved to where her violin case was resting on the piano bench.

Kolyat watched as she put away her precious instrument. Enjoying the sight of her bending forward to shut the case, he answered, "It was uneventful."

With her violin safely hidden in its case, Oriana straightened back up. She smiled briefly at Kolyat before moving toward the kitchen and wondering, "Hows Burny doing?"

"He's good." Following her into the kitchen, Kolyat leaned against the center island and followed Oriana's movement's through the kitchen as she started to get dinner ready. "Did you know he and Mau have a thing?"

"A thing?" Oriana stopped what she was doing to meet Kolyat's curious gaze. She arched an eyebrow, clearly as surprised by this news as Kolyat had been. "What do you mean, 'a thing'? Is it serious?"

"Very," he nodded in answer. "Apparently they're bond-mates."

"Bond-mates," Oriana's jaw fell incredulously. "How come she never said anything?"

Shrugging, he replied, "Probably because Burnek only just realized that he loves her."

A knowing smile coiled the corners of her lips, and Oriana stated, "With your help I'm guessing."

"Maybe a bit," he kept the impish smile from forming on his lips for a second before it unearthed under the weight of her mildly scolding frown. "I'm his partner. Shaking sense into him is part of my job."

_Mhm_, she hummed. Oriana's smile grew as she asked, "And what about you, my handsome drell? Who's going to shake sense into you?"

Kolyat rounded the island and wrapped his arms around Oriana. "That's what I have you for, my beautiful human."

Lightly laughing, Oriana curled her arms around Kolyat's neck and smiled up at him. "Oh is _that_ what you have me for?"

The grin that came over his lips was teasing as he lowered his mouth down to her neck. Scraping his canines across the arch of her neck, Kolyat rumbled, "Among other things."

Oriana gripped his shoulders tightly as she sucked in a sharp breath. Gently pushing him a step back, the look in her blue eyes was of desire but her expression was teasingly reprimanding. "You should wash up. I'll have dinner ready by the time you're out."

"Alright," he sighed, releasing her from his hold so that he could take a step back towards the stairs. "But you're more than welcome to join me."

"Tempting," she grinned. "Maybe I will."

Kolyat waggled his eyebrows playfully before finding his way upstairs and hitting the shower. By the time he meandered his way back downstairs Oriana had dinner ready on the table. Their table talk revolved mostly around their plan to visit Oriana's adoptive family soon, a trip she was excited to go on to get her mind off of Shepard and whether or not she was even alive.

He gathered their plates when supper was finished and started cleaning the dishes. As Oriana took a place beside him at the sink to dry the dishes as he washed them, their attention was pulled away by a ring sounding from the office. When he gave Oriana a questioning glance she shrugged that she wasn't expecting any calls. A pit formed in his stomach. If this call was someone from the Specter offices contacting him to let him know that Shepard was dead, he didn't know what he was going to do.

Leaving the dishes to soak, Kolyat went to the office and sat down at the private terminal. The screen flickered as it rang, requesting that he accept the incoming transmission. A shaky breath escaped him and before he answered the call he looked up to where Oriana was standing by the poker table, her own doubts and fears obvious in her big blue eyes. She nodded for him to answer and Kolyat forced his hand to press the button that would connect the call.

To his astonishment, when the screen flickered again he was greeted by a familiar face. A woman sat on the other side of the call, a grin on her face as they stared at each other. "Anya," was Kolyat's surprised greeting. He inspected Anya's features closely, shocked to be getting a call from her at all. "You're alive," he sounded as incredulous as he felt. "I was afraid that I wouldn't hear from you again."

A fond smile lifted the corners of Anya's mouth as she gazed at him. "Yeah, I'm alive," her brow quirked as she continued, "and a little insulted that you think I'd die so easily."

Kolyat shook his head, a weary but apologetic smile on his lips. "Sorry, Anya, it's just that you may not have left here with your head in the right place." He watched Anya closely, the smile on his lips growing as he said, "But you're alive; and coming back home, right?" Gods, he hoped so.

Nodding, Anya said, "Yep, and I have a surprise for you." She rubbed her hands excitedly, a lopsided grin on her face.

Kolyat gave her curious look obviously, put off by her unusual behavior. Glancing up to where Oriana was grinning happily at the pool table, he let his smile grow a bit more. They'd both been so worried since Anya left for her Specter mission, her return was a relief.

"Is it . . . what do you humans call it?" His attention was on Oriana as he explained. "The little decorative ornament that you place on shelves, made of glass and filled with water and glitter."

Oriana smiled as she answered, "Snow globes, Kole."

He nodded in gratitude and returned his attention to Anya. Smiling, he tried again, "Did you bring me a snow globe?"

Anya laughed and shook her head. "This is much, much better than a snow globe. But, I'm not telling." She made a motion of zipping her lips and throwing away the key before grinning again.

The expression on Kolyat's face fell with his concern. He watched Anya as though she might have lost her mind during her travels. After a contemplative moment he finally wondered, "Are you alright, Anya?"

"Yes, of course." She paused, tilting her head curiously, and asked, "Why do you ask?"

"You're acting very strangely."

"I'm happy," Anya shrugged as though it were nothing. "What, I've never been happy?"

Very seriously, Kolyat supplied, "Not in my experience, not like this."

The smile on Anya's lips fell a little at his confession. Shrugging again, she confessed, "I found my brother and his family. I have a lot to be happy about."

His eyes widened with surprise. She and her parents had spent the better part of the last year and a half worrying about her brother. That she'd found him was nothing short of a miracle. His smile returned, double the size. "That's great news! Have you told your parents?"

"Not yet," Anya shook her head. "It's their surprise."

"So what's mine?"

Laughing, she commended, "Nice try, but you're going to have to wait and find out."

Kolyat rolled his eyes and sighed, playfully annoyed that she wouldn't just tell him outright what it was. After a moment he asked, "When will you be returning?"

She glanced at the time before answering. "We should be docking at the Citadel in another nine hours."

"We'll be there waiting for you," Kolyat couldn't help the smile that persisted on his lips. It was good to see Anya alive, more than that; it was good to see her happy. That careless grin was an expression that he'd never seen her wear before, but one he hoped she'd show more often now that she had her brother back. Sighing, he admitted, "It's good to know that you're safe, Anya."

"I'll see you soon, Kolyat." Her smile turned departing and the screen blackened a second later.

Looking up from the terminal, Kolyat met Oriana's gaze and they grinned at each other for a moment as they let the surprise of Shepard's call wash over them. "She's coming home," he said in breathless relief.

"Yeah," Oriana agreed with a sigh. Her smile turned mischievous as she said, "And we only have nine hours to have a little fun in her hot tub."

Kolyat returned her roguish grin with a devilish one of his own. "Then let's not waste anymore time." He didn't know how she managed to make his blood feel like fire with that look alone, but there was something about Oriana Lawson that imprisoned him to her so completely.

* * *

**As always, feedback is much appreciated! Thank you for following, favoriting, and commenting on this story! I appreciate all of you!**


	7. Tonight (Best You Ever Had) John Legend

**This chapter contains strong sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.**

* * *

The only batarians Oriana had ever met were all male. They'd been ornery men with the surly attitudes of rabid varren. So when she'd met Neelah Isimahr the girl's pleasantness came as a total surprise. Neelah was a delicate looking thing, her slight frame and big empathetic eyes made her an instantly likable person; and Oriana was happy to have another girl her age in the Shepard filled apartment.

Shepard's spacious apartment actually seemed crowded with the addition of her brother's family, and Neelah and Niall; though not uncomfortably so. The retired Commander had set up a room for the young couple in the office, and the familial warmth the Shepard's exuded was enough to ease the discomfort of being packed together like sardines.

Oriana watched as Neelah played with baby Ana. The toddler sat in the middle of the entertainment center stacking blocks the young batarian woman handed to her. Neelah was good with the kids, gentle with Ana while also being able to keep up with young Mika's boyish antics. If she was honest with herself Oriana might have admitted to being a tad jealous of her obvious maternal instinct.

Feeling the weight of Oriana's curious gaze, Neelah's upper eyes glanced towards her while her lower pair stayed focused on Ana. It was disorienting to see her divided attention. "Isn't she the most precious thing?" wondered Neelah as she pet back the toddler's soft auburn hair.

"She is," Oriana easily agreed, rounding the sofa and joining them on the entertainment center's floor. Tucking her legs underneath her, Oriana smiled softly at the baby before returning her attention to Neelah. "You're really good with her."

"She's really an angel," Neelah shrugged. The smile that seemed so persistent on the pretty batarian female's lips grew a touch as she handed Ana another block. "Or at least she pretends to be. You can't take your eyes off of her for a second. The instant you're distracted she's up to her brother's mischief."

She grinned, unsurprised to discover that even an infant Shepard could be the source of trouble. Oriana's gaze was on Ana, admiring the infant's softly browned skin she'd inherited from her mother. "Have you known Michael's family long?"

Neelah shook her head. "A few months," she answered. "Thane brought them to work at the inn when Michael was recruited into rebuilding the mass relay."

Nodding as though she understood, Oriana decided to go ahead and indulge her curiosity. "So," she nervously started. "I've never seen a female batarian before. Are all of you so pretty?" When an abashed smile unearthed on Neelah's lips, Oriana continued, "That's probably why your males don't let you out of sight."

"They are rather protective of us," Neelah admitted with a soft girlish giggle. "And I'm actually quite the disappointment appearance wise." Her smile dissipated as she placed a block on top of Ana's growing stack, only for the girl to remove it with a discontented grunt. "My frame is too thin, my eyes are too large, and my ridges aren't very pronounced. It's no wonder my brothers had such a hard time marrying me off, and I was the only female in Thun."

Neelah's tone was unconcerned, as though she couldn't possibly care less about her supposed undesirability, but still Oriana couldn't help but defend her underrated beauty, "It was their loss and Niall's gain."

Her smile returned at the mention of Niall. "Yes well, as you humans say, love is blind."

"Are you bonded?" Oriana asked abruptly, unable to suppress her ever growing curiosity for a moment longer.

Neelah's eyes fluttered with surprise. "I—"

"Was that too personal?" Oriana quickly interrupted, feeling like a nosy gossip for not minding her own business. She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she tried to apologize. "I'm sorry, it's just that this whole bond-mate thing is so fascinating to me. Humans have always and a thing about soul mates, and it's so interesting to find a species who's bond-mate can be from another species."

"Yes," the smile Neelah gave her was both friendly and amused. "We are bonded, but I think it might be more about our experiences than our souls. Niall was there for me when my world fell apart, and I was there for him when he lost everything he loved."

"Your losses brought you together," observed Oriana. "But don't you think it's your bond that connects you?"

Ana got onto her feet and handed a building block to Oriana, talking to her in her infantile gibberish as she did so. Smiling at the girl, Neelah shrugged in answer to her question. "Niall and I love each other, why over-analyze that?"

Accepting the block from Ana, Oriana thumbed over the letter etched into it's side as she explained. "I just think the idea of bond-mates is fascinating."

"Thane is the only drell I've ever met," said Neelah. "Even when he thought that his mate was dead he seemed very much connected to her. From what I've read, the drell don't have soul-mates either, yet their love binds them as surely as mine connects me with Niall."

She pushed herself onto her feet and smiled softly at Oriana when she did the same. Before making a move toward the kitchen, she observed, "Maybe your fascination with soul-mates stems from a fear of losing what you share with Kolyat; but I assure you, Oriana, in the short time I've known you both it's very clear to me that your love is real."

Oriana pursed her lips as she mulled over Neelah's observation, but before she could try to voice a reply the young batarian woman added, "Fate and predestination don't determine or validate love. Don't place so much stock in bond-mates and the like. My relationship with Niall is no better or worse than yours with Kolyat."

With that said she turned on her heel and called for Ana to follow her into the kitchen. Ana screamed in delight as she raced across the apartment in pursuit of her caretaker. Oriana watched them go, considering Neelah's words and the wisdom behind them.

Smiling softly to herself, Oriana decided that Neelah was right and she wouldn't give the subject more thought than it merited. She joined them in the kitchen, her grin growing at the sight of Ana taking a sippy cup filled with juice from Neelah and meandering over to play under the dining table's legs.

"You've been cooped up in this apartment since you've stepped foot onto the Citadel," observed Oriana. "How about Kolyat and I show you and Niall the SilverSun Strip tonight?"

Surprised, Neelah turned back towards the refrigerator and put away the apple juice. When she turned back around she asked, "A double date?"

"More like a triple date," Oriana simpered. "If you don't mind I'd like to invite my friend Mau and her bond-mate. If you and Niall are going to stay on the Citadel, it wouldn't hurt to have friends."

"We actually haven't decided if we're staying," Neelah informed her. After a moment a happy grin inched across her lips. "But it would be nice to get out and see the sights. My brothers brought me to Zorya when I was a girl and I've never been off the planet."

"Well you're off now," Oriana stated with a smile. "And the Citadel has no shortage of sights. It'll be fun."

The thrumming dance music vibrated even the ground beneath them, pulsating waves of energy into their bodies as they sat in the booth nursing their drinks. Kolyat glanced at the dance floor and smirked at those whose drinks had deceived them of their dancing abilities.

He draped his arm over Oriana's shoulder and pulled her more snuggly against him as he returned his attention to Burnek's story. The turian's hands moved theatrically as he told his tale, and the other's watched with grins as they listened.

"And I kid you not, the Keeper snarled at me."

"You're a no good liar, Burny." Oriana pointed an accusing finger at him, her blue eyes were playfully narrowed as she called him out. "Keepers do 'not' snarl. Avina, on the other hand." She shrugged. "She can be a real bitch if you get too close to them."

Mau laughed at her bond-mate's fabricated story and lovingly caressed his fringe. Placing her attention on Neelah, she admitted, "Us bond-mates know that turians aren't prone to lying, don't we cutie?"

The batarian girl's eyes fluttered in what he assumed to be her equivalent of a blush. "They are a rather noble race," she commented softly, placing a hand on Niall's knee and giving it a loving pat.

At the sight of the young couple, Oriana leaned herself against Kolyat and sighed. Kolyat brushed a kiss on her temple before noticing that her drink was low and finding his excuse to leave the table and the nauseating love-fest this triple-date was turning out to be.

He scooted out from the booth and said, "I'll get you another drink."

"You're running a bit low too, gorgeous," Burnek observed before climbing from his seat and joining Kolyat in standing before the table. "Not to worry, our beauties, we'll have more drinks coming right up."

Neelah wasn't partaking in any alcohol, but her cup of water was also nearing empty. When she noticed Niall glancing down at her glass she nodded for him to join them in getting more drinks for the table. He tapped his forehead to hers before leaving the table and following Kolyat and Burnek towards the bar.

Burnek placed their orders before turning to face the dance floor. He leaned an elbow on the bar and stated, "Those girls sure know how to talk, don't they."

"The girls?" Kolyat arched an eyebrow and gave his partner a playful smirk. "It sounded to me like you were doing all of the talking, Burnek."

"They wouldn't be able to get a word in even if they wanted to," Niall agreed, his mandibles flaring with his amusement.

Tapping his fingers on the bar's surface, Burnek watched the dancers move for a bit before he wondered, "Do you guys want a family?"

Surprised by the question, Kolyat and Niall shared a confused look before the other turian answered with a question, "Are you making an offer?" to which Kolyat smiled in amusement.

"No," Burnek's mandibles flicked as he chuckled. "I'm just wondering because, genetically speaking, neither of you will ever be able to have one." His amber gaze went from the dancers to where Kolyat and Niall stood beside him.

Noting the confused, and somewhat insulted, expressions on their faces he said, "When Mau and I are ready we can start a family if we want to. No, my daughter won't have my genes, but she'll have some of my traits and she'll be mine. She might even be able to carry on the family name. That won't be the case with either of you."

The bartender placed their drinks of the counter and Kolyat paid the tab. He took a sip from his glass of amaretto and listened quietly as Niall replied. "My entire family is dead, and Neelah is a pariah among her people. She wouldn't be able to find a decent batarian husband even if she wanted to." Niall glared at his feet as he admitted, "The Articus name is a curse. If it's going to die with me, then good riddance. And if Neelah decides that she wants a family we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

That was a reasonable response and when Kolyat looked up from his drink to meet Burnek's gaze he nodded as though he shared the sentiment; although he wasn't exactly sure he did. He glanced back to where the women were seated, giggling as they chatted about this or that. His attention was on Oriana and his heart began to sink into his stomach.

Kolyat didn't feel the same way about his family name as Niall felt about his. He knew that it was old fashioned but there was a part of him that understood the importance of carrying on a legacy. Kolyat was an only child, and Anya and his father wouldn't be able to have children even if they wanted to. The Krios name was one he was proud to have, and it ending with him felt like a great loss.

"Well, come on." Burnek grabbed both his drink and Mau's and started for their table. "Our lady friends look thirsty."

He picked up Oriana's drink and stared into its strawberry color. Releasing the tension of his thoughts with a sigh, Kolyat decided to forget the conversation ever happened. He and Oriana were happy. What more did he need?

* * *

She was definitely starting to feel the effects of the dachary she was sipping on. Oriana knew that she was a lightweight, and she also knew the danger of drinking these sweet beverages. Yet she was far too inebriated to bring herself to care. Admittedly it had something to do with Kolyat's arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders. When he held her like this Oriana felt safe enough to over indulge just a bit.

Stirring her drink with the straw, Oriana grinned as she watched Burnek and Mau move on the dance floor. Even with her drunken vision, she could see their bond. They moved in unison, anticipating each others next step and responding in the like. Her grin grew at the sight of the turian shaking it. She had to admit that the man had some moves.

Oriana placed a hand on Kolyat's lap and brought her mouth up beside his ear. "Dance with me?"

He glanced down at her hand, a provocative smile inching across his plump lips. He tucked her hair behind her ear before tracing the line of her jaw. "How am I supposed to resist that face?" wondered Kolyat as he rubbed his thumb across her lower lip.

She beamed at him and replied, "You aren't." Playfully pushing him out from the booth she followed him onto her feet and dragged him out to the dance floor. Looking back to where Niall and Neelah were still seated in the booth, she gave her new batarian friend a wink before returning her grin to her boyfriend.

Oriana released Kolyat's hands and turned her back to him. Raising her hands above her head, she started to move to the lively beat. She rolled her hips, arching and rocking her body to the pounding electronic music and losing herself to the energy that was now filling her to the rim.

A smile curled her lips at the feel of Kolyat dancing behind her, his hands on her hips as he pressed her to him and matched her steps as though he had her dance memorized; which he probably did, perfect drell memory and all of that. She shooed the distracting thoughts, returning her attention to the feel of his hands on her hips and his body so close to hers.

Kolyat took her hand as she raised it and spun Oriana to face him, the grin on his lips was sinister as he took the lead of their dance. She was enraptured by him, by the dark look in his eyes, by each of his lithe movements. Kolyat was a creature of seduction. Everything about him was the epitome of allure. It was the way his glossy scales reflected the club's lights, the quirk of his lips promised dark things, as did his eyes.

As the music thumped, accelerating her already racing heart, Oriana felt her blood start to warm with the heat of her desire for him. Her eyes were on his body as he moved, a serpent entrancing its prey, and she was more than willing to have a taste of Kolyat's sweet venom.

When his hands returned to her waist, Kolyat pulled her to his chest and Oriana gladly accepted the kiss he pressed to her lips. Oriana wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to him. Her moan was lost under the thunder of the club's beats as her tongue danced with his. For the moment she forgot where she was and there was only her and Kolyat in all of the universe.

She melted in his embrace, the addition of his hallucinogenic saliva combined with her previous indulgences made her lose her sense of propriety. Oriana pressed her body more firmly against him, her hands roaming over his surface as she felt his strength and remembered how well he knew how to use it. A desperation started to grow inside of her, spreading through her veins like a fire in tall dry grass.

When Kolyat removed his lips from hers it was to speak into her ear. "Let's get out of here," his rumbling voice purred directly to the heat pooling deep in her gut.

Oriana nodded absently, without a thought or a care for anything but satisfying the need growing inside of her. She giggled in delight when Kolyat spun her again, twirling her out from his arms before pulling her back to him and leading her to where Burnek and Mau were still dancing.

When he caught the turian's attention, Kolyat came up beside Burnek's ear and said something that Oriana couldn't hear over the club's music. She watched as Kolyat indicated to the couple still seated at the booth and understood that he was trying to ensure that their friends made it back home safely. Burnek nodded and gave Oriana a knowing wink before returning to dancing with his bond-mate.

Her grin turned with excitement as Kolyat pulled her through the crowd towards the side exit. She welcomed the cool Citadel air with a deep breath, abandoning the sweaty heat of the club for the SilverSun Strip's open air. Oriana had only a second to enjoy the fresh outdoors before Kolyat trapped her lips under his once again.

He pushed her up against the wall, his mouth on her neck as he pressed himself against her. Oriana gripped his shoulders, hating the feeling of his leathers keeping her nails from dragging along his scales. She didn't have it in her to feel embarrassment about how badly she needed him, how desperate she was to feel his ribbed length inside of her.

She groaned in delight when Kolyat draped her leg around his waist and pressed himself against her. He returned his mouth to hers, inviting her to drink more of his venom, encouraging her to lose more of herself to the decadence of his taste. Oriana welcomed his tongue with a moan, rubbing herself against him as she desperately searched for his arousal with her needy sex.

Kolyat sucked her lip between his teeth and gently tugged the flesh before pressing his forehead against hers. "Oriana," he breathed out. "I need you."

"I'm yours," she whispered, running her hands along the serrated scales of his scalp and returning his mouth to hers.

Moving one hand from the back of his neck, down his chest and toward the hem of his pants, Oriana started to undo his pants. Kolyat caught her wrist, stopping her before the buckle could be undone. "Not here," he said, a visible struggle to keep from taking her right in the alleyway like both of them wanted him to.

Oriana fought to keep her eyes from rolling. She needed him now, she didn't care for social encumberments, not when she could see his arousal straining to collide with hers. "Then where?" she growled with a bit more bite than she'd intended.

He smirked in response to her feisty tone and glanced out the alleyway. Taking her by the hand, Kolyat led her onto the SilverSun Strip and back towards the apartment. He pulled her up beside him and wrapped an arm over her shoulders, his hold was possessive and the look in his eyes was dangerous. Oriana bit her lip as she stared up at him. She wouldn't make it up to the apartment. She needed him now.

Guiding her through the crowded strip, Kolyat moved his arm from her shoulders and slid his hand down the small of her back, his fingers just barely touching her backside. He lowered his mouth beside her ear, his tone a low and dangerous pur, "I'm going to have you tonight, Oriana."

She felt his absence the second he straightened back up. Oriana hissed under her breath, "What are you waiting for, Krios?"

The sound of him growling in reply made her smirk. It was a small victory. Kolyat was losing his patience, which meant that she'd have him all the sooner. Oriana ground her teeth as she breathed, fighting to keep her body from pouncing on Kolyat and taking what she needed from him right there in the middle of the strip. She concentrated on the feeling of his hand on the small of her back, on his fingers lightly ghosting over the top of her ass. She could feel her blood heating up by the second. By the time they made it back to the apartment she was going to be a wild animal and Kolyat was going to be her prey.

A breath of relief spilled from her nose when they finally approached the apartment building. She gave the tall drell beside her a sidelong glance, noting the unwavering determination in his black and cerulean eyes. He had plans for her, dark and passionate plans, and Oriana felt her body shudder with anticipation in finding out exactly what they were.

When they entered the building they noticed that the attendant wasn't in her usual spot at the entrance. Kolyat paused, looking from the desk to the hall that would lead to the crowded apartment. A resolute huff sounded from him before he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her around the receptionist's desk. He opened the door to the back room and summoned the lights.

A grin crawled over her lips when they noted that it was empty. She didn't have time to make a smart-ass remark to goad him further. The moment that Kolyat saw that they were alone he pushed Oriana up against the wall, fiercely pressing his lips against hers. She twined her arms around his neck, greedily accepting his tongue into her mouth.

Without waiting for invitation or permission, Kolyat unzipped the front of her dress until her lilly white flesh was free to be touched. His hand pushed up her bra as it sought out her sensitive nipples. Oriana groaned in delight as he pinched her perked peak, sliding her leg up his so that she could handlessly tug his pelvis against hers.

Kolyat buried his face in her neck, licking and biting her pulse point, feeling her heart throttle against his tongue as she panted desperately for each breath. She could feel his arousal against her, his hard member begging for her touch. She unwrapped her arms from around his neck and ran her hands down his firm chest to the zipper hiding his erection from her touch.

She unzipped him and Kolyat's arousal sprang free to greet her. Without releasing his tongue from her mouth, Oriana started to rub his shaft, feeling his ribbing and remembering how his length felt inside of her. His teeth bit into her with a little more force when she started stroking him.

"Oriana," it was a warning. If she kept it up he was going to take her.

Oriana grinned and increased the rate with which she stroked him. "What?" she taunted him, the challenge obvious in her husky voice.

"This is a dangerous game you're playing," he rumbled against her neck.

Using the pad of her thumb, Oriana pressed against the tip of his member and replied, "How do you plan to stop me, Krios?"

Finally he took the bait. Having enough of her challenges Kolyat stepped back and unpinned her from the wall. Without removing her back from the wall she gave him a sultry smirk, quirking an eyebrow as she quietly waited for his next move. A primal growl sounded from Kolyat as he came at her again. His hands gripped her panties and ripped them down her legs.

Tucking her moistened underwear into his coat pocket, Kolyat grabbed Oriana by the nape of the neck and moved her from the wall. With gentle force, he bent her over the table in the break room. He pulled her dress over her bottom and gave her white ass a slap. Oriana yelped in surprise, though she couldn't fight the arousing effect it had in the fiery pit raging deeply in her gut.

"That," his tone was dominant, fierce. "was for pushing me. And this," he slapped her ass again, harder this time. "is because your tight ass looks so fucking good bent over like this." In response to her needy mews Kolyat knelt down behind her and pushed her legs further apart.

A moan sounded from her at the feeling of his hot scales roving over her thighs toward her bottom. Kolyat rubbed her cheeks adoringly, spreading them a bit so that he could get a better look at her dripping wet sex. The sound of her cry was loud when Kolyat's tongue made contact with her folds. She tightly gripped the table's edges as she tried and failed to contain herself.

Clenching her eyes shut, Oriana tried to breathe, struggling to wade through the fog starting to cloud in her mind. She cried out again when Kolyat tasted her, dipping his tongue into her core before traveling down to her hypersensitive bud that was already swollen with anticipation. Her fingers hurt from the force with which she was holding the table, her nails scraping across it's metallic surface as she tried to climb free from the mind numbing ecstasy of his mouth suctioning on her clit.

When he pressed his tongue back into her, one of his hands slapped her ass again before he replaced his tongue with his fingers. Kolyat bit her ass cheek as his conjoined fingers rubbed her inner walls. He expertly found the sensitive spot hidden inside of her and stroked her there, strumming her insides as his low and husky voice commanded her to beg for him.

"Kolyat," she cried, gasping and whining as her body jerked and jolted. She was so close. Oriana could feel him edging her nearer to the brim, pushing her there with each ministration. "Please, Kolyat. I'm almost there."

Unmoved by her pleas, he rumbled, "Tell me how badly you want it."

"Fuck." She groaned, her hips bucking as she desperately tried to ride his fingers. Oriana needed Kolyat. She needed him like she had never needed anything or anyone ever before. Of all her past lovers none of them touched her the way that he did, none of them made her feel the way he did. Even when he had her bent over a table like this, Kolyat made her feel loved, adored, like a goddess in constant need of worship. He knew exactly how to make her melt for him. He could make her dripping wet with a look alone, and when he had her right where he wanted her he knew exactly what to do to make his goddess beg for release. Just like he was doing now.

"Please Kolyat, I need it." her voice shook with her desperation. "I can't stand it. Please."

She could hear the smile in his voice when he replied. "I think you've waited long enough."

He slid another finger into her core and strummed along her inner walls while his thumb rubbed her nub in slow circles. Kolyat milked every moan out of her until even her gasps were breathless. His free hand rubbed her ass cheek before giving it another slap. When Oriana tried to remember how to breathe the pleasureful sting he left on her bottom was pushing her even closer to the point of no return.

Kolyat pressed down on her budd, holding it as his fingers continued to rub against her slippery insides. It was when his teeth bit into the fatty flesh of her ass cheek that she was finally thrown over the edge. Oriana gasped for breath as she was flung from one reality into another, where the only thing that existed was this overwhelming sense of ecstasy.

He slid his fingers out from her pulsating core and stood back up behind her. Kolyat tenderly rubbed her bottom, affectionately brushing away the sting of his previous assaults. His hand wandered from her backside up her back until he had a hold on her hip. With his free hand, he lubricated his tip with the reward of his foreplay. When Kolyat's member was nice and wet from her juices he started to ease himself into her entrance.

The moan that tore through her nearly sounded pained as he sheathed his shaft in her core. When he was inside of her to the hilt, Kolyat started to slowly pump his hips. His own groan joined hers and Oriana imagined his expression, how his eyes must have been closed, his mouth open as she surrounded him. The thought of his face, of the effect her body always seemed to have on him, it was enough to send her back up towards the peak of climax.

Kolyat's thrusts started to pick up in pace. The sound of their bodies colliding was only drowned out by the animalistic sounds that both of them were making. It was the feeling of his magnificently ribbed shaft, how his length rubbed so delightfully against her, that made her forget that they weren't the only people in the galaxy. When Kolyat possessed her like this, like being inside of her was more important than breathing, like it was his thrusts that kept him alive not his beating heart, it made her addicted to all that he was.

She could feel the crescendo stirring inside of her. As Kolyat plowed in and out of her, Oriana felt herself climbing back up to that edge she was so familiar with. The heat was pooling inside of her like liquid fire, its tendrils filling her senses with that blinding white heat. His pace was turning frantic, rushed, she could feel that he was also close and Oriana pushed herself back against his assault, urging him deeper.

The speed with which he grabbed her by the nape of her neck, pinning her to the table so that she couldn't move, felt as though it had been by reflex. His hold on the back of her neck was gentle yet firm, holding her in place so that when he met his release it would be on his terms. But the damage was already done. Oriana felt her body release, the tight coil springing free as she was drowned in the heat of orgasm.

They cried out in unison as Oriana's pulsating vaginal walls milked every drop from Kolyat's throbbing member. For a moment they stayed locked in that position, Oriana still trapped against the table as his hand lightly gripped her neck. When Kolyat returned from the daze of climax he released his hold on her and slipped free from her core.

Zipping himself back up, Kolyat returned his decency before peeling her off of the table and turning Oriana around to face him. All she could do was smile distantly at him, too contented by their somewhat aggressive lovemaking to care for anything else. Kolyat brushed a kiss on each of her eyelids before placing a soft kiss on her lips. His thumbs feathered over her cheeks as he smiled adoringly down at her.

Without saying a single word, Kolyat pulled her bra back down to cover her breasts before rezipping her dress. When her modesty was returned he grabbed her hand and led her from the break room back out to the attendant's desk. As they exited the back room they noticed that the asari receptionist was back in her seat. The three of them shared an awkward wordless conversation as she and Kolyat went around the desk and toward the apartment.

"Have a good night," she called after them with an amused laugh.

Kolyat glanced down at Oriana and gave her a playful wink. Hiding her laugh behind a hand, she had to agree that their night was already much more than good

* * *

She was beautiful, almost painfully so. Oriana was the perfect woman. More than just the perfect human woman, but in general. If he scouted the Milky Way to its entirety he would never find a woman more perfect than her. Yet Burnek's words kept circling in his mind.

Did their perfect pairing really matter if they could never actually have a family together? Oriana would never be the mother of his children. She wouldn't be the woman to help him carry on his bloodline and, as he carefully brushed aside her dark hair to get a better view of her gorgeous face, he scolded himself for caring so much about it.

The concept of bloodlines and family names was an outdated one. What did it matter that they'd never have their own children? There was always adoption. There were other options, he knew that there were other options, but the weight in his stomach still continued to grow.

Kolyat continued to watch her sleep soundly as his thoughts churned his stomach with apprehension. Placing a kiss on her exposed shoulder blade he tried to force the thoughts away. He reclined back onto his side of the bed and stared at the ceiling. They were happy. They loved each other. What mattered more than that? _Nothing_, he told himself. Nothing mattered more than their love. Nothing would ever matter more than their love. He just needed to believe that and the rest would figure itself out.

After a few long minutes had passed it became obvious to Kolyat that sleep would continue to evade him for the rest of the night. Not bothering to wait for morning, he pushed the comforter aside and climbed out of bed. Maybe a bottle of water and some time admiring the SilverSun Strip's vibrant lights would help him find sleep.


	8. Say Something - A Great Big World

**Say Something - A Great Big World**

* * *

A light synthetic breeze circulated through the Presidium, gently caressing Kolyat's scales as it swept by. It was another falsified lovely day, and he wondered if there was ever a time that they projected storm clouds in the faux-skies overhead. A small smile twitched at the corner of his mouth for a second as he imagined the riot the Presidium's residents would raise if their skies were anything less than perfectly blue.

"Kolyat," the sound of Burnek's voice pulled him from his thoughts. When Kolyat blinked back into the conversation, the turian gave him a questioning look. His subharmonics started to whirr with concern, and Kolyat fidgeted in his seat at the sound of it. "Are you listening?"

He gave the turian a curt nod and supplied, "Sergeant Tanya scheduled you to work the night shift on Mau's birthday." Running a hand over the serrated scales lining down his scalp, Kolyat agreed with his outraged friend. "It's not right."

"No," Burnek's mandible's flared with discontent. "It's not." Resting his elbows on the picnic table, he gave Kolyat a worried look as he thoughtfully steepled his talons. When the silence between them grew tense, he asked, "Is everything alright, Kolyat?"

Blinking, a slight frown tugged on his lips as he considered Burnek's question for a moment. After a second, he answered, "I'm fine."

Burnek's brow plates furrowed with uncertainty, unconvinced by Kolyat's admission. "Are you sure? You've been acting strange."

Kolyat shook his head as though he didn't understand Burnek's meaning. "How so?" he asked, truly curious about how his behavior had changed.

"Well, you've been distracted lately." Burnek's concern was genuine, and it was enough for Kolyat to think over his behavior for the past couple of weeks. As Kolyat mulled over the observation, Burnek continued, "And you've been taking more hours at work."

At that, Kolyat allowed a small smile to curl the corners of his mouth. "Me working more is unusual?"

Burnek shrugged a bit, as though his evidence of Kolyat's strange behavior had sounded more damning in his head than when voiced aloud. "You don't usually take anymore shifts than you have to; something about getting home to Oriana."

The sound of Oriana's name wiped the smile from his face. Kolyat shifted in his seat again and reached for his drink resting on the table between them. Bringing the drink to his mouth, he sipped from the tea to keep from replying for a second longer. When he placed his cup back onto the table he still hadn't come up with a response.

Noticing Kolyat's discomfort, the volume of Burnek's subharmonics rose to a mildly uncomfortable trill. "Is everything alright with the both of you?"

"Yes," he answered. "Everything's fine. It's just strange not having Anya living with us anymore. The apartment feels empty without her and my father. It was nice living with them."

Burnek hummed softly in reply, an understanding sound; though he didn't look convinced by Kolyat's explanation. "But still, don't you think it's nice to not live with your parents anymore? You are getting a little too old for it. Or do you still sleep in a Blasto onesi?"

A soft chuckle sounded from Kolyat at the thought of him adorning the childish pajamas. "Not on most nights," he replied, forcing the smile from his lips. "Everything's alright, Burnek. Don't worry about me."

"You're my friend, Kolyat," Burnek's gaze was soft as he regarded him, filled with the affection of one brother to another. "It's my job to worry about you."

He offered Burnek a smile and assured him, "As much as I appreciate it, there's nothing to worry about."

The turian still didn't look convinced. "You'd tell me if there was something, wouldn't you?" When Kolyat nodded, Burnek finally let the subject go. Standing from his seat, he gestured for Kolyat to follow his lead, and said, "Break time's up. We should head back to C-Sec."

Kolyat joined him and they both made their way back towards the C-Sec offices. As he breathed in the space station's circulated air, he thought about Burnek's observation. Kolyat had lied, something was wrong. He just didn't know exactly what. Things had been tense between him and Oriana for the past couple of weeks. They'd started arguing, and it seemed like Oriana picked meaningless fights over nothing.

They were a normal couple, that sometimes disagreed on a few things, but never like this. She'd never started a fight with him over the way he folded his laundry. It was as though the things she'd once found adorable quirks in his personality had become insufferable annoyances, and Kolyat didn't know what was causing her confrontational behavior.

He knew that they needed to talk, to _really_ talk. He just didn't know what to say.

* * *

It had been going on for weeks now. The meaningless arguments were starting to wear her down. Oriana knew that she was mostly to blame, that she nit picked everything until she found something to work herself into a tizzy over, but it felt like it was the only way to get a reaction out of him.

Kolyat was distant. She didn't know what, but something had changed inside of him. The people that accused him of being distant and detached were the ones who didn't know him. He was a different animal when he was with her, rambunctious and lively. Kolyat always knew how to make her laugh and how to make her heart race. But her handsome drell was relapsing to his old behavior, from before they knew each other. And now it felt as though the only way Oriana could get him to open up, so that she could actually see for herself that he still felt _something_, was when she started a fight with him.

It was exhausting. Strong willed and determined were qualities that she and her sister carried like family banners, but all this fighting was emotionally draining. She didn't want to fight anymore. Oriana wanted to sit down and talk with Kolyat like they used to. She just didn't know how.

A sigh escaped through her nostrils as she rearranged the books in the study. It was like they'd just been thrown onto the shelf without any thought of organization. Even as she divided them by genre and started to put them in alphabetical order, Oriana had to fight the urge to blame this mess on Kolyat. It wasn't even his mess, but it might as well have been.

She shook her head as she set the book down with a bit more force than what was necessary. Oriana hated the person she was becoming. She'd never been like this, angry and irritable at the drop of a hat. If she had to guess the cause of her behavior, she would have blamed the man that she was currently blaming everything on.

Kolyat's emotional distance toward her was making her insecure, which was making her crazy. Every night for the past few weeks he'd come home from work, mumble a short acknowledgement of her before retreating to the entertainment center or study where he'd be impossible to talk to until it was time for bed. It was like that, day in and day out, and Oriana was starting to lose her mind. She didn't know when things had gotten so strained between them, but she also didn't know how much more of this she could take.

The sound of the front door opening and closing lifted her gaze from her task. Oriana left the office in time to catch Kolyat kicking off his boots by the door. An unreasonable anger started to fester inside of her at the sight of him carelessly discarding his shoes. She'd told herself that she wasn't going to start a fight this time, but for some reason she couldn't shake her annoyance.

"Could you put your shoes away, please." Her tone was sharp even to her own ears, and Oriana felt like an ass for starting another fight over something so inconsequential.

Kolyat looked up at her, his features stoic and expressionless, acknowledging her irate request without reacting to her irrational behavior. With a grumbled, "Sure," he collected his boots and put them away in the coat closet. Once they were put up, Kolyat moved to the kitchen to grab a drink and Oriana followed after him, trying to convince her flaring emotions to calm down so that she could think clearly.

Pulling open the refrigerator door, Kolyat retrieved a bottle of water from inside. He unscrewed the cap and set it down on the counter before moving into the entertainment center to turn on the television. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from griping at him for leaving the cap on the counter instead of throwing it away.

Strolling behind him, she cleared her throat before asking, "How was work?"

"It was fine," he replied as he sat on the sofa and started sifting through the channels, and that could have very well been the end of the conversation.

There used to be a time where Kolyat would actually answer that question, describing his day in detail before returning the question so that he could learn about hers. _This_ was what their nightly dialogue had become, short and uninvolved, and it was killing her. Oriana glared at his profile as she struggled with her ever growing anger. She just wanted to talk to him, was that so bad? Couldn't he at least pretend to want to talk to her too?

When she'd worked herself up to the point where she couldn't stand there silently glaring anymore, Oriana demanded, "What are you doing?"

Without so much as glancing up at her, Kolyat answered, "I'm trying to catch the game."

"What game?"

His jaw ticked at the sound of the edge in her voice, but that was his only acknowledgment of it. Kolyat took a sip from his water before supplying, "Bio-Ball."

Oriana felt her hackles rise and her blood heat to a slow boil. Nostrils flaring, she tried to convince herself to calm down. There was no reason for her to get this angry at him. If she kept it up she would become the villain, but when he got like this all she wanted to do was beat sense into his pretty head.

"Since when do you care about Bio-Ball?" she bit out the question, failing at her attempts to keep her temper at a maintainable level.

Kolyat shrugged, his gaze still glued to the television. Counting to ten, Oriana tried to tame her anger with each of her deep breaths, but it was proving impossible. His short answers were fanning the flames of her upset, and his disinterested behavior was pouring gasoline onto an already dangerous fire. She didn't want to fight anymore, but Kolyat was making it impossible for them not to.

When his focus hadn't left the screen once, Oriana decided that she'd had enough. She cut across the entertainment center and yanked the controler from his grasp. She could feel Kolyat's surprised gaze on her back as she turned the television off before throwing the remote into the fire pit behind him.

Mouth hanging open in shock, Kolyat gaped up at her for a moment before his own anger started to surface. _Finally!_ she thought to herself at the sight of his irritation making it into his black and cerulean eyes. There was finally some emotion on his gorgeous face, it was only a shame that this was the way she had to get it out of him

"What the hell, Ori?" he demanded.

"I'm trying to have a conversation with you." she barked back at him.

Kolyat gave her an exasperated look. "I was listening."

The fire in her blood flared with her anger. "No, Kole, a _conversation_; as in a dialogue, which would require both parties to be involved and not just me talking at you. I swear, sometimes it's like I'm talking to a wall, I might as well be talking to myself."

He stared at her in open mouth confusion, his brows furrowed and his features expressing exactly how little he understood what was happening with her. Snapping his mouth shut, Kolyat asked, "Why are you acting like this?"

"Because you don't talk to me any more!" It had taken weeks for Kolyat to finally ask that question, _weeks_! She'd started a thousand arguments over the stupidest of things, and finally she'd worn down on his patience enough for him to talk with her about it. Unfortunately, now that Kolyat was open to talking, all Oriana felt like doing was yelling.

"We used to talk, Kolyat, _really_ talk. But you've been completely brushing me off for weeks now."

His expression changed as though she'd physically assaulted him. "I haven't been brushing you off," he argued.

Oriana didn't know what was worse, him knowing exactly what he was doing but blatantly denying it right to her face; or him being too self-involved to realize what he was doing to her. "Yes you have!" she rebutted. "Every time I try to talk to you, you always brush me off with one word answers and go watch television or onto the extranet. You don't treat me like your girlfriend anymore."

"Yes I do," he said, she could tell by his voice that he really believed his own words. When Oriana gave him a challenging expression, he asked, "Then what do I treat you like?"

"Like I'm your roommate, and one you don't like very much at that." She watched his expression change with anger and confusion, hating herself for having to start a fight in order for him to finally show her he still felt anything at all. "The only time I see you is at dinner, and we always eat in silence. It's like you hate being in the same room as me."

Setting his jaw, Kolyat looked like he was about to say something but was grinding his teeth in order to keep the words from coming out. The sight of him holding himself back was more infuriating than anything else. Oriana needed to witness his anger. She needed to hear the emotion in his voice to be sure he still felt anything for her at all.

"Do you have something to say, Kolyat?" she growled. "Then say it!"

His lip curled with his distaste, but he complied with her irate demands. "Maybe I wouldn't brush you off if you didn't start fights with me over stupid things."

"Maybe I wouldn't start fights with you over stupid things if you'd actually talk to me!"

"I _do_ talk to you!" he yelled right back at her, pushed up from his seat by his own anger. "Stop making it sound like I just ignore you, because I don't!" Oriana opened her mouth to make another argument but Kolyat spoke over her. "And it's not like you make it easy for me to talk to you when you're _always_ yelling at me over nothing."

Her jaw fell with his rebuke. Lips twisting with outrage, she asked, "So it's my fault that you don't talk to me anymore?"

"Yes!" Kolyat barked, causing Oriana to flinch away from him. An apologetic gleam shown in his eyes for a second before he turned his back to her and took a step toward the expansive windows. He ran a hand over the notched scales on his scalp, a sigh sounding from him as he peered through the open blinds. After a second, he spoke again, his tone level and calm again.

"You fight with me over nothing, Oriana."

She glared at his back, wishing that he'd turn to face her so that she could see the emotion in his eyes since he kept them off of his features. "I fight with you because it's the only way I know how to make you feel anything."

Kolyat turned around then, confusion on his features as he regarded her. The question was in his eyes but it didn't make it past his lips. She sighed as she wrestled with her annoyance, answering the question he was too self-controlled to ask. "You've been pushing me away, Kolyat. You used to let me know what you were thinking, and how you felt, but now I have to guess. But I can't because the _only_ time I can read your emotions is when I've pissed you off enough to bring them out."

All he did was stare at her, watching her as she breathed heavily, struggling to keep her anger from turning into over emotional tears. Oriana held his gaze for a moment before she realized that he wasn't going to reply to her. Her rage flared again and she shouted, "Say _something_!"

His eyes widened with her volume and his lips thinned. After a second he said, "I don't know what to say."

"How about _why_ you won't talk to me anymore?' she supplied. "I think that would be a great place to start."

Kolyat's eyes narrowed, but he complied with her request with a shrug. "I don't have anything to say."

Her anger was finally becoming too much; her frustration was turning into tears that welled in her vision and massed in her throat. Oriana ground her teeth, forcing her tears to stay back. She would be damned if she turned into an over-emotional mess just yet. They still needed to talk. She still needed answers.

"That's not good enough, Kolyat." Oriana ground out. "We used to talk about things like our future. You used to always tell me how important I was to you, and how you couldn't picture your life without me." A single tear fell and she wiped it away before it could make it down her cheek. Clearing her throat from the emotion choking her up, she asked, "When did that change?"

Kolyat held her gaze, sadness spilling into his features as he regarded her, and the sight of it cracked her already fragile heart. His answer broke it completely. "When I couldn't see a future for us anymore."

Jaw falling with disbelief, there was little more that Oriana could do than just gape at Kolyat in complete and overwhelming confusion. After a moment, she blinked her mind back into focus, and tried to hold herself together long enough to gasp out, "What?"

"Don't you want to have a family someday?"

Shaking her head, Oriana was caught off guard by the question and didn't immediately understand his meaning. "Yes," she said after taking a second to process his words. "With _you_."

It was Kolyat's turn to shake his head. "We'll never have our own kids, Ori."

"So?" she demanded. "What's so wrong with adoption."

Kolyat shrugged. "Nothing." He took in a steadying breath, rubbing his forefingers into his eyes as he tried to find the words to explain it to her. "I'm not saying there's anything wrong with adoption. It's just that . . . I'm an only child, Ori. The bloodline, my family name, the Krios legacy, it dies with me unless I can carry it on."

Gaping at him, Oriana tried to wrap her head around his words but was having an impossible time doing so. "Why does that matter? Why is that suddenly so important to you?"

"It just is!" he yelled to match her volume. Kolyat's expression returned to its stoic set, and he said, "I didn't realize how important it is to me until I realized that we'll never be able to have kids together, and that matters to me, Oriana. I don't want to be the last of my line."

Every word coming out of his mouth was hammering her heart down to millions of shattered pieces. Oriana felt like her entire world was collapsing at her feet, turning to dust in her mouth. She'd invested so much of herself into this relationship, all of herself, and now Kolyat was taking that away from her with the admission that he didn't see their relationship going anywhere.

The tears were now surfacing faster than she could blink them back. They streamed down her cheeks and Oriana didn't bother to wipe them away. When Kolyat took a step toward her, his hand reaching out for her, she shook her head with a glare, pinning him in place with the intensity of her pointed gaze.

"Then what are we doing?" her question came out a whisper; the emotion clogging her throat wouldn't allow her to speak a decibel higher.

Kolyat gave her a startled look. Blinking both eyelids, he shook off his confusion before answering. "We're in a relationship."

"But why?" She couldn't see past her tears. Kolyat was a watercolour of blues behind the film protecting her from clearly seeing his expression. "If you don't see a future for us then why are we doing this?"

"Because we love each other," he stated as though the answer was obvious. When Oriana scoffed Kolyat assured her, "I _do_ love you, Oriana. I love you with all my heart."

"Just not enough to have a future with me."

Kolyat gave her an exasperated look. "I'm sorry, okay! I wish that it was genetically possible for us to procreate, but it isn't! I want to have kids, and I wish that it could be with you, but it can't. That doesn't change the fact that I love you. That doesn't change my feelings for you."

She shook her head. "It changes everything."

"Why?" He demanded. "We're still young, Oriana. There are still _years _between now and when we should start seriously thinking about starting a family. Why can't we just enjoy each other up until then?"

"Are you fucking kidding?" She scoffed, wiping the tears from her face, knowing that it was pointless as they kept pouring from her eyes like water from an open faucet. "You want to stay in a relationship knowing that someday it's going to be over? Are you seriously asking me to stick around, when you don't see us being together for the long run?"

Kolyat shrugged as though he wasn't asking that much from her. "What's so wrong with staying together for a while longer?"

"Other than it being a complete waste of both of our time?" She growled. "If that's not enough then how about the fact that I fucking love you, Kolyat! And you are breaking my heart right now." The confession broke what little self control she had forced herself to maintain. Oriana's chest felt as though it were cracking under the weight of her grief, the bones reverberating the deafening beats of her fragmenting heart. "I love you and I can't just sit around, biting my nails, waiting for the day that you decide you're ready to continue your bloodline without me."

"Oriana -"

"No, Kolyat!" She screamed when he tried again to make a step toward her. "I'm not some dog that you can tell to sit and stay! You can't keep me around for as long as it's convenient for you! I love you, Kolyat, but I'm no masochist."

Kolyat stared at her, though she couldn't see his expression through the tears in her eyes. She could hear the emotion clearly in his voice and it cut through her deeper than any of the words that had come from his plush lips. "What are you saying, Oriana?"

Her chin trembled as she struggled with her voice. Her entire body was shaking under the intensity of her emotions. She tried to breathe but her lungs forgot how to work. She tried to speak but her tongue forgot how to articulate language. All she could do was gasp for breath and shake her head. Oriana was struggling to hold herself together when everything she was felt like it was shattering to billions and billions of tiny, irreparable pieces.

Heaving breath into her lungs, she swallowed past the lump in her throat and she tried again to speak. "I'm going to spend the night at my sister's place." When her voice cracked she cleared her throat again before adding, "I'll come by while you're working to get my things."

"Wait," he reached for her again and Oriana took a step back, glaring him into place. "Oriana, please. You can't just -"

"I _can_," she hissed, allowing anger to consume her again to give her the strength to get through this. "And I _will_." Turning on her heel, Oriana left the entertainment center and hurried for the exit. "Bye, Kolyat. Thanks for the memories." she croaked as she left him, and everything they'd shared, behind.

* * *

Kolyat watched the door shut behind her, tears streaming down his face as he felt everything that was right with the galaxy leave him behind in an empty apartment. His heart felt like it was collapsing in his chest, crumbling to dust, turning to ashes. The weight of his emptiness was too much. Kolyat fell to his knees as he stared hopelessly at the door, praying to every god whose name he knew that Oriana would turn back and return to his arms.

He was no longer sure if a future without Oriana was one worth having. Kolyat couldn't help but feel like he'd made the biggest mistake of his life.


	9. All Over - D at Sea

**D at Sea - All Over**

* * *

"_Kole," her voice sings for him from the foyer. He can hear the smile on her lips, can picture the laughter in her eyes. When he calls back down to her, walking from their room to the stairwell to meet her in the kitchen, she says, "Do you know where I put the datapad with my sociology report?"_

_Smiling as he descends the stairs, he walks into the living room to find her digging in between couch cushions, pulling the sofa apart piece by piece searching for her lost datapad. He walks over to the piano and watches her progress for a bit, feeling a sense of amusement while finding her determination indescribably heartwarming. Oriana is a persistent woman. She knows what she wants and she won't stop until she gets it, be that a datapad or an internship with in one of the Citadel's largest colony development firms. She is strong, and that is one of the many things he loves about her._

_When the weight of his admiring gaze becomes too heavy, she looks up from her task to look him in the eyes. She is the most gorgeous creature he has ever seen in his whole life. Her black hair is tucked behind her ears, reflecting the surrounding lighting. It is caught in that middle stage between being too short to tie back, and too long to leave unattended, causing so much frustration during her morning routine. His smirk grows at the sight of her furrowed brows. That is the same look she gets every morning when her hair refuses to cooperate with her, and it is the most adorable expression she possess._

"_What are you smirking about, Krios?" she demands, placing her hands on her hips as she huffs in frustration. When he shrugs in answer she waves at the mess she has created and says, "Well, are you going to help me find that blasted datapad, or are you just going to watch as I tear the apartment apart?"_

_He can feel his lips pulling into a teasing grin. He can't help it, this is one of the many things he loves about their relationship, their ability to pick on each other, to tease one another, and laugh at the other's expense. Their friends don't really understand their relationship, but it works for them, and he wouldn't change their playful bickering for anything. _

"_I think I might just watch this time." he says with another shrug._

_Brows raising at the sound of his refusal, Oriana nods in understanding. "You want to play that game, Kole? Fine. If you like to watch so much, you can start watching your back; because I'll be coming for you when you least expect it. When you think you're safe, I'll be lying in wait for the perfect time to strike."_

_His grin grows at her threat. "Ooo," he sings, "I'm so scared."_

"_You should be," she advises. "I know your every weakness."_

_Quirking an eyebrow, Kolyat challenges, "Is that so?"_

_Oriana nods as she climbs onto the cushionless couch, draping a leg over its back and scaling over it. She slowly struts in his direction and Kolyat becomes entrapped by the sway of her hips. His gaze roves up her curvaceous body as she approaches him, pausing at her breasts before he licks his lips and continues on to meet her sultry gaze. A foxy smirk tickles the corners of her full lips when she stops right in front of him. Kolyat breathes in deeply, inhaling her flowery scent, his mouth watering with the memory of her taste. Oriana's smile grows wolfish at the sight of his strong reaction to her proximity. _

"_I'm a Lawson, Kole," her voice is smokey when she speaks, a low seductive purr that speaks directly into the heat pooling in his gut. "We don't pick fights we can't win."_

_Lowering his face down to hers, Kolyat's lips are just a hairs breadth from brushing against hers as he replies, "And I'm a Krios, Ori." Tilting his face a bit so that she can catch the predatory smirk on his own lips, he finishes, "We only chose worthy adversaries."_

"_Implying what exactly?" she wonders with a breathy exhale. Her nostrils flare as she breathes, her pupils are wide and she licks her lips again while staring down at his._

"_Implying," he answers, his hands moving to her blouse to unbutton it with each of his whispered words, "that if you want me to help you find your datapad," all of her buttons are now undone, her snow white skin revealed to him, her lacy bra concealing her breasts from his touch. As he brushes her blouse off of her shoulders Kolyat rumbles, "you're going to have to work for it."_

Hmm_, she purrs, her delicate hands reaching for his belt buckle. As she unlatches his belt, Oriana looks up to hold his gaze, "I'll play your game, Krios. But don't pout when I beat you at it."_

_A grin spreads across his lips. "You're welcome to try, Lawson." he growls as she unbuttons and unzips his pants._

Blinking back from the memory, Kolyat rubbed his forefingers into his eyes to banish the tears that were threatening to surface. When he opened his eyes again he was greeted by the black and white piano keys, keys that hadn't been touched in a very long time.

It felt like years since he'd heard music being played in the spacious apartment, even before Oriana had left him days ago she hadn't touched her violin or the piano. While they'd been fighting not a single instrument had been played, and Kolyat was feeling the absence of her music almost as strongly as he was feeling the absence of their playful bickering.

He stood from the piano bench with a sigh and strode into the kitchen to grab a snack. It had almost been a week since Oriana walked out the front door, and still he was holding out hope that she might come back, that at any moment she might burst in and come running back into his arms. But she hadn't, not yet.

When the doorbell chimed, he couldn't help his heart from jumping into his throat, hope filling his body only for disappointment to take its place. The security screen displayed two familiar turians standing at the door, and Kolyat remembered that he had invited both Burnek and Niall over to pass the time between now and when he had to go to work. Sighing, he went to unlock the door and welcome his friends he was shamelessly using as a distraction.

* * *

The darkness had been overwhelming. It was like floating in the eternal vacuum of space without a single star to keep her company. There was no oxygen, only the black that filled her lungs and choked her up until she couldn't even gasp for breath. Surely there was no pain greater than this. How did life continue when it hurt this badly?

She spent both night and day curled up into a ball, the blanket tucked under her chin as Oriana stared into the darkness that engulfed her. The unending black was a reflection of what was left inside of her. She felt so empty. Without his familiar volcanic warmth wrapped around her, she felt as though she were only a husk pretending to live.

At first his absence had brought tears, so many tears. She'd sobbed from dawn to dusk and to dawn again. Oriana had cried until there were no tears left inside of her, all reserves of moisture spent as she mourned the loss of the one thing she loved above all else. After a while she'd stopped crying. Not because the pain was gone, she doubted that this level of pain would ever ebb, but because she had nothing left inside of her. When her tears had finally stopped falling, they'd left behind a feeling of devastating emptiness in their wake.

Oriana was numb. She didn't feel anything and she'd allowed herself to just lay in the darkness and wallow. If the darkness wanted her so badly she would let it take her. She had nothing left to give anyway.

For days she'd allowed it to go on, the first two spent reclused in her room shrouded by darkness. When Oriana finally emerged she could see the relief in her sister's eyes, relief that was quickly erased when Miranda realized that she wasn't yet done mourning the loss of her relationship. Oriana knew her sister didn't understand, how could she? Miranda had never loved anyone the way that Oriana loved Kolyat, she'd never experienced this pain.

She felt like she'd lost a limb. Oriana felt as though someone had hacked into her chest and ripped out her heart, and without it she was numb. Even if she was no longer secluded in her dark room, Oriana went about her days like a zombie. She was a husk, groaning at the light of day, a stranger to all that she'd once been.

Seated in the living room of her sister's apartment, an apartment that was much smaller than the one she'd grown so accustomed to, she could feel Miranda's concerned gaze on her. Oriana sighed lethargically, realizing that the television she'd been staring at for the past half hour wasn't even on, and that was probably why her sister was looking at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Ori," Miranda said slowly when Oriana reached for the controller and turned the television on, so that she could at least pretend to be watching something. Walking into the living room she stepped into Oriana's line of sight and offered her a warm smile, "How are you feeling today?" When Oriana shrugged in answer, she asked, "Can I fix you something to eat?"

Oriana shook her head and Miranda let out a frustrated sigh. She could tell by the way that Miranda was standing that she was getting annoyed with her behavior, and still Oriana didn't have it in her to care. Trying to keep her tone friendly, Miranda wondered, "Are you sure? Because it's been a few days since you last ate . . . or bathed."

"I'm fine," was her muttered reply. "Thank you."

Her sister stared at her for a while, her lips thin with distaste. Oriana could feel the tension grow inside of Miranda, could sense the words she wanted to voice but repressed. When Miranda sighed in defeat, she left Oriana in the living room and went to the kitchen to go prepare lunch.

"If you're not going to eat then you should at least shower." Oriana didn't reply and Miranda's irritation grew, rippling through the atmosphere in waves. "A friend of yours is coming by to check on you, and if your crap attitude doesn't scare her off, your smell is bound to finish the job."

"Good." Oriana said with a sigh. Slouching deeper into the couch cushions, she tried to focus on the daytime drama playing on the television. "I'm not really in the mood for visitors."

"Big surprise there," grumbled Miranda. "Tell me, Oriana, what _are_ you in the mood for?" Oriana shrugged and Miranda abandoned her task to meet her sister's gaze. "Enough, Oriana. You are going to wash up and get yourself together, and then to spend some time with your friend. Do I make myself clear?"

Unimpressed by her sister's show of dominance, Oriana asked, "And if I don't?"

"You will," was Miranda's softly spoken reply, a not-so-subtle threat that should Oriana refuse the repercussions would be great.

Oriana grit her teeth, but quickly surrendered with a sigh. She didn't have it in her to fight with Miranda. Since ignoring her sister and going about her day like she'd been doing for the past four days was no longer an option, she would do what she was told. Standing from the couch, she didn't spare her sister a second glance as she retreated into the bathroom and started the shower.

She took her time in the shower, unintentionally losing track of time as she allowed the hot droplets of water to wash away the residue of her misery. When she'd actually gotten around to the bathing part of showering, Miranda had knocked on the door to check and see if she was alright.

Almost an hour and a half later, Oriana emerged from her room bathed, dressed, and ready to climb right back onto the sofa and vegetate. Socializing was the last thing she wanted to do, but Miranda wasn't going to give her a choice. Either she communicated with another person, or Miranda was going make her sit in on hours of conference calls.

Stepping into the kitchen she immediately spotted the lovely young batarian woman sitting at the island, having a conversation with Miranda as they waited for Oriana to show herself. Neelah's black eyes landed on her as she approached from the hall. Sympathy coated her delicate features as she took in the sight of her and scooted out of her seat.

"Oh, Ori," she mewed, rounding the island and crossing the distance between them with her arms outstretched for an embrace.

Oriana felt her heart clench the second Neelah's arms wrapped around her, her entire body tightening as she physically tried to hold herself together. She'd thought that she didn't have any tears left inside of her. She thought wrong.

The sting of coming tears stabbed into the backs of her eyes as she buried her face in Neelah's shoulder. Sniffling back the overwhelming upheaval of emotion, Oriana bit into her bottom lip to keep from crying. Her struggle was doubled when Neelah started to rub her back, humming soothing tones as she assured her that everything was going to be okay.

They stood like that for a minute, Oriana biting back tears while Neelah supported her, until Miranda's voice pulled them apart with a sharp, "Enough already." She and Neelah both gaped at the older Lawson sister, who waved off their aghast glares. "It's been four days, Oriana. Don't you think it's time that you pulled yourself together and started to move on?"

Neelah blinked, taken aback by Miranda's behavior. "A little sensitivity goes a long way. Your sister just broke up with a man that she is very much in love with."

"I was being sensitive." Miranda smoothly rebutted. "For four days I've been sensitive." Her deep blue eyes moved to Oriana and narrowed a bit. "Do you know how difficult it has been for me to go the last two weeks without saying 'I told you so'?"

Blinking twice in speechless disbelief, Oriana snapped her jaw shut and shook her head. "Seriously, Miranda?" Sometimes she just wanted to grab her sister by the neck and squeeze until she was blue in the face.

Miranda shrugged. Her eyes softened and her features eased with her unvoiced apology. But when she spoke it wasn't to ask for her sister's forgiveness. "I've never cared for Kolyat, Oriana. I tolerated him because he meant so much to you. But I'm not going to sit here and pretend as though I'm not even a little bit relieved that you two aren't together anymore." Her hand shot up when Oriana opened her mouth to argue. "Your safety, physical, emotional, and otherwise, is the only thing that matters to me. He hurt you, Ori, just like I knew he would."

Shaking her head, Oriana protested, "_I_ broke up with _him_."

A disappointed look came over her sister's features. "Why?" Oriana tightened her lips shut and Miranda arched a challenging eyebrow. "Why did you leave him?" When her younger sister refused to answer, Miranda did it for her. "You left him because he didn't see a future with you. After everything you put into the relationship he didn't see you together for the long haul. And at least on that he and I are in agreement."

"You are being a bitch, Miranda," Oriana growled, feeling her tears returning with frustration and anger instead of pain and loss, but she fought them back with what little strength she could muster from her numbed emotions.

Her sister's features softened again. "I'm being rational." she replied.

"No, you're being a mean, insensitive, immature bitch." Miranda blinked at Oriana's spiteful tone. For the first time in days she felt something aside from sadness, and the emotion that gripped her now was too strong for her to fight back. "I'm sorry that I don't measure up to your standards of perfection, Miranda. I'm obviously the only one that makes mistakes, right? Don't you worry, your screw up sister will be out of your hair the second I find my own place."

"Ori, I didn't mean -" Oriana raised her hand to silence her. Miranda wasn't particularly good at discussing matters of the heart. Her upbringing had been different than Oriana's, and she was the type of woman who saw emotional sensitivity as a weakness because of it. If Oriana didn't feel so badly for herself, she might have pitied her sister.

Before the subject could be opened for debate, Neelah took Oriana by the hand. When Oriana met the batarian's gentle gaze, a soft smile curled the corners of Neelah's mouth and she suggested, "Let's go get lunch. It'll do you some good to get out of this apartment for a little while."

Oriana's heart skidded to a halt before taking off on a full sprint. Shaking her head, she muttered, "What if we run into him?"

"We won't. Kolyat has to work today." Neelah assured her with an encouraging smile. "Plus Niall is with him up until then. He'll make sure that our paths don't cross today. Okay?"

Glancing back at her sister, Oriana noticed the apologetic look on Miranda's face before letting out a long sigh and nodding her approval of the plan. Neelah's smile grew and she hooked her arm through Oriana's as she led her to the door. "Great. There's this new restaurant on the Market Levels that I'm just dying to try out."

* * *

"You're an idiot." Burnek's mandible's flared, his subharmonics were whirring with frustration and disappointment. The turian shut his eyes incredulously and shook his head as though he were trying to banish the reality of Kolyat's current situation.

He, Burnek, and Niall were all seated in the living room, discussing how graciously Kolyat had let his life go to hell in a handbasket. He knew that this was a punishment of his own making. Oriana had moved in with her sister because of him, because he was an idiot and couldn't keep a good thing going.

Now he was alone in an enormous apartment. Without Oriana the quarters were empty. She turned the apartment into a home, and without her it was just a lavish living space that was as cold and disattached as Kolyat was starting to feel. He wanted her back. He needed her back.

"You don't think I know that, Burnek?" Kolyat rebutted, rubbing the serrated scales along his scalp as he leaned back into the sofa. He stared down at the water bottle in his hand for a moment, thumbing over the label as he admitted, "I'm very much aware of my idiocy."

Burnek shook his head again. "When I asked about planning families, I didn't mean for you to break up with your girlfriend."

"I didn't break up with her," Kolyat countered.

From the other end of the sofa, Niall asked, "Can you really blame her for breaking up with you?" When both his and Burnek's gazes snapped to Niall, he shrugged off the weight of their confused looks and supplied, "You told her that you didn't see a future with her."

Feeling ganged up on, Kolyat wondered, "Are you guys my friends, or hers?"

Burneck and Niall shared a measured look before they both turned to him and said at the same time, "Both."

"She asked for the truth," he finally answered Niall's question when it was obvious that their divided loyalties couldn't be made entirely his. With a sigh, he continued, "So I gave it her."

"And then she broke up with you." finished Burneck.

Dragging a hand down his face, Kolyat groaned, "Sometimes I'm not so sure that honesty is the best policy."

Burnek nodded in agreement. "If you'd lied you'd still be with your girlfriend."

"If he'd lied, he'd still be leading her on," Niall countered. When the other turian looked at him with the question 'so what?' in his eyes, Niall observed, "Oriana is a great person, with a huge heart. She doesn't deserve to be strung along."

"I love her," Kolyat rebuked, placing his hand on his chest, over the hole she'd left behind when she walked out the door. "I wasn't leading her on."

Before Niall could argue, Burnek observed, "You don't know what he was like before he and Oriana started dating." He glanced at Kolyat, his mandibles flaring with a smirk even while his subharmonics were trilling with a somber note. "Before they got together he was a detached introvert that had a really hard time making friends. She brings out the best in him, and without her," Burnek shook his head. To Kolyat, he said, "You're regressing, man."

Niall's subharmonics were vibrating with understanding. When he spoke, his tone was requesting that they be the ones to understand what he was trying to say. "She might bring out the best in you, but she has to think about what's best for herself. You were in a mature adult relationship, and you both didn't have the same vision for the future. What Oriana did was the right thing to do."

Quirking an eyebrow, Kolyat investigated, "Breaking my heart was the right thing to do?"

He opened his mouth to answer but before he could speak Niall was interrupted by Burnek. "As much as I enjoy discussing the tragic end of your love life at length, we have to be at work in half an hour."

Niall also glanced down at his omni-bracelet to check the time. "I should go too." He looked back up at Kolyat with his sympathetic gaze, and said apologetically, "Neelah and I are going to pick up some things for our apartment."

"Now's probably not the best time to bring up your perfect relationship, Niall," Burnek advised as the got up from his seat. Mandibles flicking into a smirk, he said, "I'll see you at work."

Kolyat walked them to the door and thanked them for their company. In the last two weeks he'd found it harder and harder to be alone. The more time he spent in this empty apartment the more he felt like the galaxy might fall to pieces around him.

Oriana had given this home life. She'd filled the rooms with music and laughter. He could remember with perfect clarity the poignant cries of her violin as her bow danced across its strings. Kolyat would never forget how he could hear her laughing from the other side of the apartment, only to learn upon investigation that she was looking at cat videos on the extranet.

When Burnek said that she brought out the best in him, he hadn't been exaggerating. Oriana was the sun, and now that she was gone Kolyat felt as though he was starving. He sighed as he climbed the stairs to their bedroom. Kolyat opened the closet, noticing a few of her dresses still hanging within. His heart tightened and Kolyat grabbed one of the dresses, breathing in the fabric's scent, Kolyat remembered a time she'd worn it, the date they'd gone on, how she'd laughed at him when he struggled with the words to compliment her.

Returning her dress to the closet, he retrieved his uniform and started to get dressed for work. It was strange not having her there to joke with him, and tease him about how the semi-tight fit of his uniform could let him pass as a male stripper. Smiling at the memory of her laughter, Kolyat fastened his boot buckles and left the bedroom for the door. He had about fifteen minute to make it from the rapid transit terminal to the C-Sec offices, if he hurried he could grab a cup of tea before he had to punch in.

It wasn't until he descended onto the stairway's landing that he noticed that he wasn't alone. Their gazes met at the same time, and his heart leaped into his throat. Finally the moment he'd been waiting for for the last four days was happening. She was back. Oriana had come back to him.

"Ori," he said, a hesitant smile curling his lips as he slowly stepped the rest of the way down the stairs. "You're back."

She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. He didn't know why but he'd expected for there to be some tremendous change in her appearance. Yes, she was a bit more pale than she'd been before, and the dark circles under her eyes told him that she was getting about as much sleep as he was, but overall she looked the same.

Swallowing hard, she looked away from him and stammered, "I- you- you're supposed to be at work."

"I was just on my way out," he explained, the hope that had been flickering inside of him was starting to dim. The expression on her face wasn't of a woman returning to the man she loved. She looked like she was going to be sick, like this was a scenario snatched straight from a nightmare. "What are you doing here?" he asked, terrified of what her answer might be.

Oriana cleared her throat and tucked her hair behind her ear again. She glanced quickly at him before looking away and answering, "I came to get the rest of my things."

His heart fell to his toes. "Oh," said Kolyat. Clearing his throat, he asked, "So you're not here to . . . you know?"

"Stay?" she supplied, meeting and holding his gaze. When Kolyat nodded, she set her jaw and shook her head. "Why would you think that?"

Kolyat shrugged, feeling foolish for assuming that she'd come back to him. When the weight of her questioning gaze grew too heavy he feebly answered, "Because we love each other. We belong together."

"Do we?" asked Oriana, her tone sharp with distaste. "I know that _I_ love _you_. But if _you_ love _me_, that I don't know."

"Ori-"

"Have you changed your mind?" the edge to her voice stabbed into him, piercing his heart like a blade. When Kolyat didn't immediately answer, she prodded, "Do you still not see a future with me?"

He avoided her question with the rejoinder, "Why does it matter? We have _years_ before either of us should even consider starting a family."

"You were my life, Koyat," she said, her voice shaking a bit before she cleared her throat and clenched her eyes shut. After a few deep breaths she reopened her eyes and held his gaze, a resolute look on her face that made his heart crack right down the middle. "Our relationship meant everything to me. Do you have any idea how much it hurts to learn that it doesn't mean the same to you?"

Kolyat opened his mouth to answer, to argue that their relationship meant just as much to him, that it wasn't his fault that they couldn't actually have a future together. But Oriana silenced him with an angry scowl, her lip curling as she growled, "I have too much self respect to stay in a relationship that isn't going anywhere. You don't see a future with me? Fine, I hope you're prepared to live one without me."

Her jaw ticked as she ground her teeth. Before Kolyat could try to talk her out of whatever she was about to say next, Oriana bit out, "We are over, Kolyat, _really_ over. I just came to get the rest of my things, and then I'm cutting you out of my life completely." She didn't wait for him to reply, she didn't even wait to see how her words would affect him. Oriana turned on her heel and strode to the second stairwell, climbing up to the second level to collect her things and disappear from his life completely.

He watched as she walked away from him, stomping up the stairs as though she were taking out her anger on them. Breathing in deeply, Kolyat struggled to keep his emotions in check. He glanced down at his omni-bracelet and checked the time. Kolyat was going to be late. Maybe after work he could come back home and wallow in the knowledge that he had lost Oriana completely. Maybe then he could let it start to sink in, they were really over.


End file.
